Payton Pritchard erupted again in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough for undermanned Celtics
BOSTON -- Payton Pritchard had another monster fourth quarter for an undermanned Celtics team on Sunday. He even had the Cavaliers calling an audible from the sideline as Boston threatened to steal a win in Cleveland.
But the point guard's offensive punch wasn't enough in the end, as the Celtics ultimately let a 12-point fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 115-111 defeat. Pritchard's dead-eye shooting from downtown (and beyond) had the Cavaliers change up their end-of-game strategy, which left him at the free-throw line and not attempting one of those deep, momentum-swinging threes.
He got a little too eager at the charity stripe as he tried to surprise the Cavs with an intentional miss in the final seconds, and Cleveland escaped with the victory.
Pritchard's big night in Cleveland
The Celtics played without two of their top four players on Sunday, as Jaylen Brown (illness) and Derrick White (right foot sprain) missed the contest. But with Pritchard a powerful weapon off the Boston bench, Joe Mazzula opted to start Sam Hauser instead of inserting the Sixth Man of the Year favorite into his starting five.
Hauser gave the Celtics a solid night with 13 points off 5-of-8 shooting, and Pritchard continued his tear off the pine. He shook off a slow start -- he scored only five points off 2-of-7 shooting in the first half -- and erupted for 17 points in the final quarter, knocking down five of his seven shots from the floor and going 2-of-3 from deep. That came after his 19-point fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, putting Pritchard in an exclusive club in the NBA record books.
Pritchard finished with 24 points as he scored from everywhere on the floor. He was only 3-of-10 from deep, but he had some nice drives and finishes at the basket and pulled down seven rebounds. He even provided some strong defense, including a block on Cleveland big man Evan Mobley early in the fourth.
The Celtics couldn't stop Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell though, as he poured in 20 of his 35 points in the final stanza. Mitchell was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and hit all three of his three-pointers in the fourth. He scored 15 points over the final three-plus minutes.
But the Celtics were still within striking distance thanks to Pritchard, who drained a three with 17.2 seconds left to bring Boston within one point, 107-106.
That's when things got a little silly, as the Celtics and the Cavaliers traded fouls and free throws for what felt like an eternity.
Celtics-Cavs free throw bonanza
After that Pritchard three, the Celtics fouled Cavs guard Darius Garland to stop the clock. He hit both at the charity stripe, putting Cleveland up 109-106. That's when Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson changed his end-of-game approach -- because of Pritchard.
Atkinson said he doesn't usually call for fouls until there's less than 10 seconds on the clock. But like everyone else who follows the NBA, he's seen Pritchard drain some incredibly deep threes in clutch moments. Atkinson wasn't about to let that happen Sunday night.
"I was like, 'screw that, we're fouling,'" he said postgame. "I don't want to see Payton Pritchard come down and shoot a stepback three."
Rather than let Pritchard get off a potential game-tying three, Cleveland fouled him three times over the final 11 seconds. The Celtics returned the favor, and the Cavs hit their free throws each time the Celtics sent them to the line. That kept Cleveland's lead at three throughout the final seconds.
Pritchard hit his first five free throws, and stood at the line with the Celtics down 113-111 with five seconds left. With the Cavs still getting settled, he intentionally fired his second free throw off the front of the rim and raced in to gather the offensive board.
But he was a little too eager to get to that rebound, and was whistled for a lane violation for crossing the line before the ball hit the rim. The Cavs took over, Mitchell hit his two free throws, and Cleveland avenged their NBA Cup loss to the Celtics earlier this season. At 18-3, the Cavaliers continue to hold the best record in the NBA.
It was an unfortunate way for Pritchard to end another spectacular evening off the Boston bench. He's playing the best all-around basketball of his career, and opposing teams have to gameplan for the Celtics sparkplug.
But he never got a chance to hoist a potential game-tying three from anywhere on the floor because the Cavs kept sending him to the free-throw line. In all, the Celtics and the Cavs took 17 free throws over the final 34 seconds of the game, which took nearly 30 minutes of real time.
Celtics fall apart in fourth quarter
The Celtics scored 27 points in the fourth, but they allowed the Cavaliers to drop 43 in the frame. It's the most points the Celtics have surrendered in a quarter this season. The Cavs hit all 10 of their free throws over the final four minutes to steal/seal the victory.
While Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 33 points, he scored just four points off 2-of-7 shooting in the fourth. The Celtics were just 8-of-23 from the floor and just 2-of-9 from three in the final quarter.
Veteran guard Jrue Holiday had one of his worst games in a Boston uniform, scoring just four points off 2-of-9 shooting for the night. He scored just two points in the fourth, and was a minus-11 for the quarter.
Sunday's loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Celtics, but they won't dwell on the defeat for long. Boston is right back at it Monday night, hosting the 9-9 Miami Heat at TD Garden.
