Mazzulla credits Pritchard for ‘play of the game’ in Game 2 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
After a rocky start, the Boston Celtics recovered to beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Sunday night and take a 2-0 series lead. And while Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown dominated the stat sheet, it was Payton Pritchard who received praise from Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla following Sunday night’s win.
In his post-match press conference, Mazzulla ignored the first question and talked about Pritchard’s shot at the buzzer. With Boston leading by six points and just 3.3 seconds left in the third quarter, Jayson Tatum passed the ball to Pritchard, who ran down the court and launched a 34-footer that came before the buzzer sounded.
“I think the play of the game cannot go unnoticed, the humility of our team, is Payton’s shot at the end of the quarter,” Mazzulla told the media. “You see guys around the league pass up that shot, or fake it like they want to make it so their numbers don’t go down; he takes pride in making that, and that’s winning basketball.”
Mazzulla added that Pritchard’s shot should have been asked first, noting that it shows how each player on the roster has different skills that come together and lead to winning. After Mavs coach Jason Kidd tried to play mind games Stating that Jaylen Brown is Boston’s best player, Mazzulla reminded the media what he’s really about.
“I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy, and everyone trying to make it something other than Celtic basketball,” Mazzulla added. “Everyone that came out on that court tonight made winning plays on both ends of the court, so that’s the most important thing.”
Teammate Derrick White also praised Pritchard, noting that these shots before the buzzer are nothing new for him.
“That’s exactly what Payton Pritchard does,” White said. “Late clock, he doesn’t shy away from that moment. It was a great moment, it kind of gave us momentum. You just love Payton, you love competing with him, it was just a great moment.”
NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin sat down with Pritchard after the win to discuss what Mazzulla called “a game-winning play.”
“I was ready for that moment,” Pritchard said of the buzzer. “Joe gave me three seconds left, so I like those moments. I live for them. So I made the most of them.”
In 12 minutes of action, Pritchard tallied two assists, a rebound and a steal to go along with his three points.
With a 2-0 series lead, the Celtics will now travel to Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday night at 8:30 pm ET, with NBC Sports Boston. Celtics pregame live coverage starting at 7 pm ET.
