Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard reflected on Thursday’s 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, emphasizing the intensity of competing against former teammates. “Definitely fun. Was looking forward to it. It’s always fun playing against ex teammates and then going to battle with them,” he said after the game.
Pritchard noted the challenge of Golden State’s late rally. “I haven’t seen a diamond press like that in a long time… Definitely got to do a better job of just handling it. We had some bonehead turnovers. So, just do better. It’s a good learning experience to never take your foot off the pedal,” he explained.
The guard praised Boston’s strong start. “I think we hit the ground running and set our mind to like coming off this break and not easing into it, like let’s go full force,” Pritchard said, underlining the team’s focus early in the game.
He also addressed his role off the bench, noting how it affects his minutes and rhythm. “The starting thing is kind of pointless… I play probably more minutes than I did as a starter. I actually would rather play longer stints like that than you know as a starter sometimes,” he said. Pritchard highlighted how the team’s structure allows others to handle the offense while he contributes effectively when entering the game.
Pritchard praised Jaylen Brown’s performance, calling attention to his all-around impact. “He’s just getting better and better… His ability to create advantages for us and like create double teams and kick out, and then you see nights like this,” he said, referencing Brown’s triple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists.
On the team’s ball movement, Pritchard emphasized execution. “We did a good job of just finding the open guy, making rim reads, and that leads to good shooting nights,” he explained, noting Boston’s 36 assists on 49 field goals.
Pritchard also reflected on Dalano Banton’s return to the team. “It’s been a journey for him and for him to work his way back into the league and get opportunity again. A testament to his work ethic,” he said.
Finally, he highlighted the impact of Nikola Vucevic off the bench. “Vuc is just an unbelievable player… He is a starter and he comes in and he plays like a starter. So he helps our team tremendously,” Pritchard said, reinforcing the depth Boston enjoys behind its core rotation.
