Jrue Holiday had logged north of 33 minutes in each of his 23 playoff appearances with the Boston Celtics. That changed in Saturday's 115-93 win over the New York Knicks. Boston's crucial Game 3 victory turns this rivalry clash, at least geographically speaking, into a 2-1 second-round series.
The Celtics' win at Madison Square Garden included Payton Pritchard logging more minutes than Holiday for the first time in a playoff tilt.
"Jrue had three fouls, and Payton was good, and at times, you go with what makes the most sense," noted Joe Mazzulla post-game. "He played really well on both ends of the floor."
Perhaps it was due to the latter's hamstring strain that sidelined him for the final three first-round matchups vs. the Orlando Magic. Maybe it was the foul trouble Mazzulla cited, although Holiday only had one per quarter in the first half and finished with three.
It also could've been the spark Pritchard provided off Boston's bench, earning him an extended run. It's likely a combination of those factors, with foul trouble seeming the least plausible of the trio.
Regardless of the roots, Pritchard logging nearly 35 minutes [34:31], his most in a playoff game, and Holiday receiving 25, should help with managing the latter's workload.
Pritchard delivers playoff career-high in Celtics' Game 3 win
Saturday, at the world's most famous arena, the team with arguably the NBA's most talented roster empowered Pritchard. He responded with a team-best 23 points. It's the most he has scored in a playoff contest, per NBC Sports Boston's stats guru, Dick Lipe.
The fifth-year guard buried 8/16 field goal attempts, including 5/10 from beyond the arc.
"Just got to maintain my aggressiveness any chance I get. Attack the paint, but always be hunting the three-ball, obviously. I thought I did a good job of getting in the paint, making a play. But for me, it's just about energy. Coming in, I [have] got to get a rebound, get an assist, get a stop, hit a big shot, [I have] got to be ready for everything."
Pritchard attacked off staggered screens. He uncorked a baseline buzzer-beater to end the first frame. And he hunted Mitchell Robinson, including undressing the Knicks' center on the step-back three in the clip above this.
There was also a possession where the visitors ran consecutive pick-and-rolls involving the former Oregon Duck and Kristaps Porzingis. The second screen forced the switch the Celtics desired. It led to Pritchard getting to the elbow and swishing a rainbow jumper over Robinson's outstretched arm.
The combination of plays like that and his ability to beat Miles McBride to the basket, then knife past Karl-Anthony Towns for a layup, captured his evolution into a three-level scorer, maximizing his ability to create off the dribble.
But it was more than Pritchard's shot-making that breathed life into the Celtics' offense.
The recently crowned Sixth Man of the Year operates with an up-tempo pace that lends itself to higher-quality looks. For a group desperate to see a process consistently creating that caliber of shots yield the desired result, the speed at which he operates with the ball in his hand is paramount.
The same goes for the role it had in quickly combating New York's runs, ensuring those didn't snowball into the avalanches that buried Boston in the first two tilts.
"You always want to keep the pace, you just want to make smart decisions," conveyed Pritchard after Game 3. "Try to limit live-ball turnovers. As long as we're getting good looks, [the] percentages
will play out the right way.
"I know we struggled shooting the last two games, but we all believe in our shooting abilities. But really, it's just controlling the momentum plays, not letting them hit a 10-point swing, getting a stop when it matters most, stuff like that."
Not only did Pritchard outscore the Knicks' bench 23-21, but he also did well defending Jalen Brunson.
New York's star guard finished with a game-high 27 points but shot 9/21 [42.9 percent] from the field. When guarded by Pritchard, he had trouble creating separation as the former hounded him and confined his impact to inside the arc.
It was the latest validation of the six-foot-one guard's desire to defend the top perimeter players. Whether it was making life difficult for six-foot-six Luka Doncic, doing as well as anyone on the Celtics against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or giving Brunson no breathing room, this has proven his best season at that end of the floor as well.
"I feel like a lot of it has to do with working in the weight room, getting stronger, faster, quicker, and being in better shape," Pritchard told this author in an exclusive interview shortly before winning Sixth Man of the Year. "But just being fearless and never backing down from a moment."
That mentality, which propelled Pritchard through trying times buried on Boston's bench, fueled him on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, as he thrived in a starring role in a victory the Celtics desperately needed.
