Payton Pritchard’s buzzer-beating three-pointer is the play of the night

Payton Pritchard solely scored three factors in Sunday evening’s Recreation 2 win over the Mavericks.

However they have been the largest three factors of the evening, coming within the type of a quintessential 34-foot heave on the finish of the third-quarter buzzer.

The Mavericks have been within the midst of closing out the quarter on a 7-0 run. to chop a 13-point Celtics result in 6. when Pritchard checked in for the primary time within the second half, with simply 3.3 seconds remaining within the interval.

Subsequently, as he has many instances this season, Pritchard zoomed up the court docket to try to beat the buzzer. On the brightest stage, he sunk the deep three and broke into celebration together with his teammates.

“I used to be simply prepared for that second,” Pritchard advised NBC Sports activities Boston’s Abby Chin after the sport. “Joe put me in with three seconds left. I like these moments. I stay for them. So, I took full benefit.”

Joe Mazzulla deemed Pritchard’s shot the play of the sport. In his postgame presser, he was first requested about Tatum’s playmaking, and as a substitute pivoted to deliver up the heave.

“The play of the sport can’t go unnoticed. The humility of our group, is Payton’s shot on the finish of the quarter,” Mazzulla mentioned. “You see guys across the league go up on that shot or faux like they wish to take it, in order that their numbers don’t get tousled. He takes delight in taking that, and that’s profitable basketball. In order that’s the at the beginning.”

Pritchard had sat out the whole third quarter and was scoreless within the Finals when he tried that shot. However he had already made a few massive performs in Recreation 2 – grabbing an offensive rebound over a number of Mavericks frontcourt gamers, forcing Kyrie Irving right into a troublesome miss, stopping Derreck Energetic II from getting off a clear look.

He had solely performed 8 minutes via the primary three quarters earlier than checking in for that shot. Joe Mazzulla mentioned he subbed him in and the intention was for Pritchard to make a play, however Jaylen Brown mentioned he believed checking into the sport was the results of Pritchard’s personal initiative.

“Man, that was unimaginable,” Brown mentioned of Pritchard’s shot. “I heard he, like, checked himself within the sport, too. Like, he’s been hitting these pictures all season lengthy. If anyone has been listening to it, he’s made I don’t know what number of of these, at the least three or 4. So tonight he made it within the largest of moments.”

The shot got here on the heels of a sequence of Celtics’ errors. Within the ultimate minutes, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Jrue Vacation every fouled a distinct Mavericks participant and despatched them to the road, serving to gasoline Dallas’ comeback.

“The way you end quarters is massive,” Brown mentioned. “We didn’t end that quarter nice. We received numerous open appears to be like, we gave up some. There was some unhealthy fouls. One among them was mine — I fouled Luka on the again lower, after which me and JT received blended communication on the change. Luka had a 3. We received to complete quarters higher. However, Payton checks himself within the sport and covers us a little bit bit by hitting the big-time shot.”

Jrue Vacation had the same rendition of how the closing seconds of the third quarter transpired, taking possession for his personal errors and describing Pritchard’s make as essential.

“Effectively, first, I fouled Kyrie and put him on the free-throw line and I received my third foul, so Payton got here in for me,” Vacation mentioned. “I didn’t wish to foul him, however I’m type of glad that I did. The power that Payton brings, him simply having the balls to take that shot. He’s executed it so many instances this yr, the place he’s had the braveness to take it and he’s knocked it. He has been big for us.”

In Could, Pritchard mirrored on his tendency to take low-percentage heaves on the buzzer the place others may not in an effort to enhance their three-point share.

“It’s a basketball play,” Pritchard mentioned. “We should always take these pictures, even when it’s full court docket. What if that goes in?”

After Recreation 2, Mazzulla mentioned he considered the shot as a broader reflection of the group’s — and Pritchard’s — selflessness.

“He has the humility and selflessness to not care if he misses it,” Mazzulla mentioned. “He practices it and has an understanding of how a shot like that may influence the tip of 1 / 4 and it will possibly influence the run {that a} group makes. So they’d went on a run to finish the quarter, and I believed that shot type of gave us a little bit little bit of poise and a little bit little bit of momentum that we would have liked heading into the fourth quarter. That was big-time.”

Payton Pritchard is now averaging 7 factors on 44% taking pictures this postseason, together with 40.8% from three. Whereas he typically hasn’t put up massive scoring numbers, he’s solidified himself as a dependable backup level guard who has made numerous key performs all through the playoff run.

However maybe none was as massive because the play he made within the closing seconds of Recreation 2’s third quarter. If the Celtics are in a position to put away the Mavericks, Pritchard’s heave will grow to be a staple play within the Banner 18 documentary.

“That’s what Payton Pritchard does,” Derrick White mentioned. “When you watch us late clock, he doesn’t shrink back from that second. You simply love Payton. You’re keen on competing with him. It was a big-time shot.”