Payton Pritchard, the Celtics bench manages the Hornets with relative ease: 7 points to remember

The Celtics put together an impressive performance without any of their top six players available on Friday, beating the Hornets 131-98 in their penultimate game of the regular season.

Here are the points to remember.

1. Before the game, Joe Mazzulla told reporters that Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet would start, along with two mystery players. These two turned out to be Svi Mykhailiuk and Jaden Springer.

It’s unclear if the starters will play on Sunday, but we suspect not, as the cardio benefits would be minimal anyway, given that there will be nearly a week off due to the tournament anyway. play-in. There is very little to gain and much to lose.

2. Plus, Payton Pritchard might be able to single-handedly hold it down again. He has Really it went well.

Pritchard had his biggest season to date on Friday, dropping 31 points with 11 assists and exposing his full bag – 3-pointers, hard drives to the basket, pull-up jumpers and incredibly quick crossovers. When he plays freely, he tends to excel.

“Any night it could be different (for Pritchard),” Joe Mazzulla said. “It could be shooting, ball handling, defense, rebounding, and then he really takes pride in game management. End of quarters, start of quarters, scanning the court, so it’s been really good to have him watch play.

Pritchard, whose 31 points were a career high, said his playing time helped “a lot.”

“I think in the past, a lot of the time it wasn’t necessarily for me to be like a point guard or even a point guard. It was really about trying to come in and hit some 3 and bringing energy defensively, rebounding, stuff like that,” he said. “I think my role has definitely grown a little bit this year. With that, I’ve grown and I I’ve become better at creating plays, but just making the game easier for myself, but also for my teammates.

Pritchard is also on pace to accomplish a pretty impressive feat: On Sunday (assuming nothing weird happens in the next 36 hours), he will play his 82nd game of the season. Considering he requested a trade last year due to a lack of playing time, this season’s turnaround is remarkable.

“The journey for me, last year, during my sophomore year, where I didn’t play at all and how frustrating it is and how much it hurts sometimes, but it just made me encouraged to continue working,” he said. “And for this year, to come and play 82 games and be a part of the best team in the NBA and try to do something special, it feels good.”

Pritchard’s potential is hard to pin down – he dominates against second units and he often shows flashes of starting-quality talent in his rotation minutes. He can shoot, score on the rebound, distribute and control the game from the pick-and-roll. He’s small with short arms, but he’s so competitive and strong that his size doesn’t really make him a defensive target.

Could Pritchard move up in the rotation? Could he be a starter one day? It would take a lot, but we are not prepared to rule it out. The Celtics will soon have a prohibitively expensive team that could contend for multiple titles but may not be sustainable. Pritchard has an affordable contract and he can really play basketball.

3. Friday was Celtics Fan Appreciation Night, which was a little funny, because nothing says “appreciation” like watching the back half of the rotation and the top half of the Maine Celtics (who are arrived from Oklahoma City earlier in the day). after a stopover in Atlanta) play the rope.

On the other hand, the back half of the rotation and the Maine Celtics team put on quite a show, something the starters probably wouldn’t have done if Thursday’s debacle against the Knicks was any indicator. On Friday, the ball moved wonderfully, the offense executed at a high level, the defense was on a wire and the Stay Ready group hustled like crazy – winning “the margins,” as Mazzulla likes to say.

“I thought the guys connected well on the defensive end, and they did a really good job of going down,” Mazzulla said. “We had 16 offensive rebounds, which helped us control the shooting margin. So I think it doesn’t matter who you play – and only six turnovers. So those things are winning basketball.

4. Neemias Queta finished with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 18 minutes. Two of his points and one of his rebounds came on this play.

Queta signed a multi-year contract earlier this week, converting his two-way contract to a full-time contract.

“I’m really grateful for that,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a very long time and it’s very rewarding to be able to do it at this point in the year, when the team is doing so well, and to be able to help the team in the Ending the playoffs is something I want to be able to do.

5. Friday’s game gave the Celtics a chance to see rookie Jordan Walsh at the NBA level, and he finished with eight points on 3-for-4, 2-for-3 shooting from behind the arc.

“Young players with his potential need to be defined by defense,” Mazzulla said. “I thought he did a great job on (Davis) Bertans in the first half, and I thought he did a really good job defensively in general, whether he was with or without the ball. So I can see a significant approach toward growth in his defense.

6. The Maine Celtics have a chance to win the G-League championship on Monday. Mazzulla will be present during the final in Portland.

“I think it’s just a testament to the coaching staff, the front office, the players, and it shows continuity within the organization, which is kind of what we’re looking for,” Mazzulla said. “So these guys have played really well every time they’ve come in to replace us, and they’re doing a heck of a job out there.”

Maine’s best players might be a little tired. Queta, Walsh, JD Davison and Drew Peterson all played 12 or more minutes on Friday after their game on Thursday, and they will likely play more minutes on Sunday. That would make Monday’s championship game his fourth in five nights.

Queta explained why it was important to participate in Friday’s match.

“Being able to go out on the court and play meaningful minutes on the NBA court is something we really enjoy, and it’s going to be important for our long-term development,” he said. “So the more minutes we can play and be able to contribute to the victory, the (happier) we can be.”

Still, Queta believes Maine can finish the job.

“That would be really cool,” he said. “All the guys have worked all year for one goal and one goal only, to win the championship. We’re just one win away at this point. We’re pretty confident about that and we’re just going to take it the way we do it. any other day and try to hope that it turns out the way we want it to.

7. Sunday’s game against the Wizards starts at 1 p.m. This will be Mike Gorman’s last call on NBC Sports Boston. Expect it to be quite emotional.