Payton Pritchard leads Celtics’ 3-point barrage in 144-106 win over 76ers

An early 8-0 edge vanished before halftime

Philadelphia landed the first punch. VJ Edgecombe scored the game’s first five points, Dean Wade added a layup, and the 76ers were up 8-0 just 1:54 into the night. They still held a 13-5 lead after Wade’s three with 6:51 left in the opening quarter, but Boston steadily pulled the game back into reach.

The first real swing came late in the quarter. Jayson Tatum hit a pair of threes, Neemias Queta finished inside, and Sam Hauser’s layup with 1:28 remaining gave Boston its first lead at 19-18. Payton Pritchard closed the period with a layup and two free throws, and the Celtics were in front 24-20 after one despite the sluggish opening.

The game broke open in the second. After Edgecombe trimmed the score to 31-28 with 9:14 left in the half, Boston answered with a clean, rapid stretch: Mitchell Robinson scored inside, Paul George hit two free throws, Hugo Gonzalez knocked down a three, and Pritchard followed with two free throws, another three and a long jumper. What had been a one-possession game at 31-28 became a 46-33 Boston lead by the 6:19 mark.

Boston never gave that control back. George added a three, Tatum scored at the rim and from the foul line, and Derrick White helped close the half. Edgecombe’s free throw at 9.4 seconds ended the second-quarter scoring, but the Celtics still went to the break ahead 63-42 after winning the quarter 39-22.

Pritchard, Tatum and the supporting cast kept the pressure on

Any chance of a Philadelphia reset disappeared quickly in the third. White opened the half with a three, Jordan Walsh added another, and Robinson scored inside to push the margin to 71-45 in barely 90 seconds. The 76ers had moments of shot-making — Jabari Walker, Rayan Rupert and Edgecombe all connected during the quarter — but Boston answered almost every time.

Tatum’s line was efficient and timely. He finished with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, hit four threes and added five rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. Pritchard was even more explosive, scoring 25 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc while handing out seven assists. When Pritchard buried a 31-footer with 3:02 left in the third, the Celtics were up 94-65. Hauser’s three at 1:10 helped send Boston into the fourth with a 103-69 cushion.

The scoring depth behind those two mattered just as much. Gonzalez shot 6-of-7 and a perfect 4-of-4 from three for 17 points. White added 15, George had 13, and Hauser chipped in 11. Scheierman supplied eight assists and five steals, while Queta collected 10 rebounds. By the end of the night, Boston had six players in double figures and production coming from nearly every part of the rotation.

Philadelphia did make one small push at the start of the fourth. Justin Edwards and Labaron Philon Jr. keyed a 9-0 burst that cut the deficit from 106-69 to 106-78. Boston answered immediately: Luka Garza scored twice inside, Pritchard got to the rim, Hauser hit another three, and Gonzalez added two more from deep in the quarter. The largest lead reached 45, and the final minutes were only about the size of the margin, not the result.

Our take

The clearest story in this game was not simply that Boston shot well. It was that the Celtics paired efficient shooting with volume and extra possessions. They finished 22-of-47 from three, assisted on 35 baskets, won the rebound battle 61-33 and grabbed 17 offensive boards. Add in 40 points off 22 Philadelphia turnovers, and the scoring total starts to make sense very quickly.

Boston still left a few areas to clean up. Twenty turnovers is high for a team that otherwise controlled the game, and 22-of-31 at the foul line leaves points available. But when a club shoots 50-of-93 overall, posts 34 fast-break points and 52 points in the paint, those flaws become secondary.

For Philadelphia, the early burst from Edgecombe showed some genuine scoring punch. He led the 76ers with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, Walker added 14, and Philon had 14 points and seven assists. The larger problem was sustainability. The 76ers took 53 threes and made 15, were outscored heavily on second chances, and never recovered once the turnovers began feeding Boston’s pace and spacing. A cleaner night on the glass and with the ball would give the rest of their scoring a better chance to matter.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 11:08

   VJ Edgecombe makes two point shot (Tyrese Maxey assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 11:08

   VJ Edgecombe makes free throw 1 of 1

3. 1st Quarter · 10:45

   Dean Wade makes 3-foot layup (Jabari Walker assists)

4. 1st Quarter · 10:06

   VJ Edgecombe makes 25-foot three point jumper (Tyrese Maxey assists)

5. 1st Quarter · 8:38

   Mitchell Robinson makes tip in dunk

6. 1st Quarter · 8:01

   Jabari Walker makes two point shot

7. 1st Quarter · 7:40

   Derrick White makes 9-foot two point shot

8. 1st Quarter · 7:07

   Paul George makes free throw 1 of 2

9. 1st Quarter · 6:51

   Dean Wade makes 23-foot three point jumper (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

10. 1st Quarter · 6:29

    Jayson Tatum makes 2-foot running dunk (Paul George assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 6:03

    Neemias Queta makes 1-foot dunk (Jayson Tatum assists)

12. 1st Quarter · 4:40

    Jayson Tatum makes 27-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

13. 1st Quarter · 4:13

    Labaron Philon Jr. makes 23-foot three point jumper (Rayan Rupert assists)

14. 1st Quarter · 2:52

    Jayson Tatum makes 25-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

15. 1st Quarter · 2:15

    Tyrese Maxey makes 15-foot turnaround jump shot

16. 1st Quarter · 1:43

    Jayson Tatum makes 18-foot pullup jump shot

17. 1st Quarter · 1:28

    Sam Hauser makes 5-foot layup (Payton Pritchard assists)

18. 1st Quarter · 1:09

    Neemias Queta makes free throw 1 of 2

19. 1st Quarter · 34.3

    Payton Pritchard makes driving layup

20. 1st Quarter · 13.3

    Tyrese Maxey makes free throw 1 of 2

21. 1st Quarter · 13.3

    Tyrese Maxey makes free throw 2 of 2

22. 1st Quarter · 0.4

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 1 of 2

23. 1st Quarter · 0.4

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 2 of 2

24. 2nd Quarter · 11:50

    VJ Edgecombe makes driving layup (Tyrese Maxey assists)

25. 2nd Quarter · 10:58

    Payton Pritchard makes 26-foot three point jumper (Baylor Scheierman assists)

26. 2nd Quarter · 10:42

    Tyrese Maxey makes free throw 1 of 1

27. 2nd Quarter · 10:28

    Hugo Gonzalez makes 2-foot layup (Baylor Scheierman assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 9:49

    Tyrese Maxey makes 25-foot three point jumper (VJ Edgecombe assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 9:30

    Derrick White makes 7-foot driving floating jump shot

30. 2nd Quarter · 9:14

    VJ Edgecombe makes 14-foot turnaround jump shot

31. 2nd Quarter · 8:57

    Mitchell Robinson makes two point shot

32. 2nd Quarter · 8:42

    Paul George makes free throw 1 of 2

33. 2nd Quarter · 8:42

    Paul George makes free throw 2 of 2

34. 2nd Quarter · 8:09

    Hugo Gonzalez makes 26-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

35. 2nd Quarter · 7:48

    VJ Edgecombe makes 6-foot layup (Saint Thomas assists)

36. 2nd Quarter · 7:48

    VJ Edgecombe makes free throw 1 of 1

37. 2nd Quarter · 7:17

    Labaron Philon Jr. makes 17-foot pullup jump shot (VJ Edgecombe assists)

38. 2nd Quarter · 7:07

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 1 of 2

39. 2nd Quarter · 7:07

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 2 of 2

40. 2nd Quarter · 6:42

    Payton Pritchard makes 25-foot three point jumper (Derrick White assists)

41. 2nd Quarter · 6:19

    Payton Pritchard makes 24-foot running jump shot (Hugo Gonzalez assists)

42. 2nd Quarter · 4:53

    Rayan Rupert makes 6-foot running jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists)

43. 2nd Quarter · 4:29

    Paul George makes free throw 1 of 2

44. 2nd Quarter · 4:29

    Paul George makes free throw 2 of 2

45. 2nd Quarter · 4:04

    Jayson Tatum makes 2-foot running dunk (Sam Hauser assists)

46. 2nd Quarter · 3:44

    Paul George makes 26-foot three point jumper (Sam Hauser assists)

47. 2nd Quarter · 3:03

    Jabari Walker makes 23-foot three point jumper (Dean Wade assists)

48. 2nd Quarter · 2:57

    Derrick White makes free throw 1 of 2

49. 2nd Quarter · 2:57

    Derrick White makes free throw 2 of 2

50. 2nd Quarter · 2:33

    Derrick White makes free throw 1 of 2

51. 2nd Quarter · 2:33

    Derrick White makes free throw 2 of 2

52. 2nd Quarter · 2:24

    Labaron Philon Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (VJ Edgecombe assists)

53. 2nd Quarter · 2:07

    Jayson Tatum makes two point shot

54. 2nd Quarter · 1:04

    Paul George makes 25-foot three pointer

55. 2nd Quarter · 28.7

    Neemias Queta makes free throw 2 of 2

56. 2nd Quarter · 9.4

    VJ Edgecombe makes free throw 1 of 2

57. 3rd Quarter · 11:27

    Derrick White makes 25-foot three pointer

58. 3rd Quarter · 11:10

    VJ Edgecombe makes 24-foot three point jumper (Justin Edwards assists)

59. 3rd Quarter · 10:58

    Jordan Walsh makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jayson Tatum assists)

60. 3rd Quarter · 10:23

    Mitchell Robinson makes two point shot (Paul George assists)

61. 3rd Quarter · 10:01

    Jabari Walker makes 17-foot jumper (Rayan Rupert assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 9:39

    Rayan Rupert makes free throw 1 of 2

63. 3rd Quarter · 9:39

    Rayan Rupert makes free throw 2 of 2

64. 3rd Quarter · 9:28

    Jayson Tatum makes driving layup

65. 3rd Quarter · 8:59

    Derrick White makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Paul George assists)

66. 3rd Quarter · 8:38

    VJ Edgecombe makes free throw 1 of 2

67. 3rd Quarter · 8:38

    VJ Edgecombe makes free throw 2 of 2

68. 3rd Quarter · 8:22

    Jabari Walker makes two point shot (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

69. 3rd Quarter · 8:09

    Derrick White makes 19-foot step back jumpshot (Mitchell Robinson assists)

70. 3rd Quarter · 7:56

    Jabari Walker makes 26-foot three point jumper (Justin Edwards assists)

71. 3rd Quarter · 7:12

    Jordan Walsh makes 22-foot three point jumper (Jayson Tatum assists)

72. 3rd Quarter · 6:49

    Rayan Rupert makes 25-foot three point jumper (VJ Edgecombe assists)

73. 3rd Quarter · 6:25

    Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2

74. 3rd Quarter · 6:25

    Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2

75. 3rd Quarter · 6:14

    Neemias Queta makes alley oop dunk (Derrick White assists)

76. 3rd Quarter · 5:33

    Jayson Tatum makes 25-foot three point jumper (Neemias Queta assists)

77. 3rd Quarter · 5:17

    Paul George makes running dunk

78. 3rd Quarter · 5:03

    Jabari Walker makes 1-foot dunk (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

79. 3rd Quarter · 5:02

    Jayson Tatum makes free throw 1 of 1

80. 3rd Quarter · 4:35

    Jayson Tatum makes 27-foot running jump shot (Paul George assists)

81. 3rd Quarter · 3:24

    Caleb Love makes driving layup (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

82. 3rd Quarter · 3:02

    Payton Pritchard makes 31-foot three point jumper (Jayson Tatum assists)

83. 3rd Quarter · 2:49

    Caleb Love makes free throw 1 of 2

84. 3rd Quarter · 2:26

    Saint Thomas makes 2-foot layup (Jameer Nelson Jr. assists)

85. 3rd Quarter · 1:59

    Hugo Gonzalez makes driving layup (Baylor Scheierman assists)

86. 3rd Quarter · 1:38

    Payton Pritchard makes 24-foot three point jumper (Baylor Scheierman assists)

87. 3rd Quarter · 1:29

    Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2

88. 3rd Quarter · 1:10

    Sam Hauser makes 25-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

89. 3rd Quarter · 35.1

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 1 of 2

90. 3rd Quarter · 35.1

    Payton Pritchard makes free throw 2 of 2

91. 4th Quarter · 11:36

    Luka Garza makes two point shot

92. 4th Quarter · 11:27

    Justin Edwards makes 26-foot three point jumper (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

93. 4th Quarter · 11:08

    Labaron Philon Jr. makes 26-foot three pointer

94. 4th Quarter · 10:46

    Justin Edwards makes 25-foot running jump shot (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

95. 4th Quarter · 10:31

    Luka Garza makes 2-foot layup (Baylor Scheierman assists)

96. 4th Quarter · 10:16

    Labaron Philon Jr. makes 23-foot three point step back jumpshot (Jabari Walker assists)

97. 4th Quarter · 10:03

    Payton Pritchard makes 2-foot layup (Baylor Scheierman assists)

98. 4th Quarter · 9:08

    Sam Hauser makes 24-foot three point jumper (Baylor Scheierman assists)

99. 4th Quarter · 8:46

    Luka Garza makes two point shot

100. 4th Quarter · 8:24

     Hugo Gonzalez makes 27-foot three point jumper (Baylor Scheierman assists)

101. 4th Quarter · 8:10

     Dillon Jones makes two point shot

102. 4th Quarter · 7:52

     Justin Edwards makes 29-foot three point jumper (Labaron Philon Jr. assists)

103. 4th Quarter · 7:36

     Rayan Rupert makes free throw 1 of 2

104. 4th Quarter · 7:36

     Rayan Rupert makes free throw 2 of 2

105. 4th Quarter · 7:16

     Luka Garza makes two point shot

106. 4th Quarter · 7:07

     Sam Hauser makes 26-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

107. 4th Quarter · 6:52

     Baylor Scheierman makes 26-foot three point jumper (Payton Pritchard assists)

108. 4th Quarter · 6:04

     Hugo Gonzalez makes 25-foot three point jumper (Dillon Mitchell assists)

109. 4th Quarter · 5:34

     Saint Thomas makes 22-foot three point jumper (Jameer Nelson Jr. assists)

110. 4th Quarter · 5:21

     Dillon Mitchell makes layup (Hugo Gonzalez assists)

111. 4th Quarter · 5:08

     Saint Thomas makes free throw 1 of 2

112. 4th Quarter · 4:18

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2

113. 4th Quarter · 4:18

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2

114. 4th Quarter · 3:36

     Chris Cenac Jr. makes 1-foot layup (Dillon Mitchell assists)

115. 4th Quarter · 3:36

     Chris Cenac Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2

116. 4th Quarter · 3:21

     Milos Uzan makes free throw 1 of 2

117. 4th Quarter · 3:21

     Milos Uzan makes free throw 2 of 2

118. 4th Quarter · 3:00

     Chris Cenac Jr. makes dunk (Amari Williams assists)

119. 4th Quarter · 2:47

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2

120. 4th Quarter · 2:47

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2

121. 4th Quarter · 2:11

     Hugo Gonzalez makes 25-foot three point jumper (Milos Uzan assists)

122. 4th Quarter · 1:52

     Justin Edwards makes free throw 1 of 3

123. 4th Quarter · 1:52

     Justin Edwards makes free throw 2 of 3

124. 4th Quarter · 1:52

     Justin Edwards makes free throw 3 of 3

125. 4th Quarter · 1:36

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes driving layup (Caleb Love assists)

126. 4th Quarter · 1:36

     Jameer Nelson Jr. makes free throw 1 of 1

127. 4th Quarter · 1:25

     Milos Uzan makes 5-foot two point shot

128. 4th Quarter · 1:14

     Duke Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

129. 4th Quarter · 1:14

     Duke Miles makes free throw 2 of 2

130. 4th Quarter · 42.6

     Duke Miles makes 1-foot layup (Saint Thomas assists)

131. 4th Quarter · 36.0

     Hugo Gonzalez makes free throw 2 of 2