Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) drives towards the basket previous Washington Wizards ahead Deni Avdija (8) within the first half of an NBA basketball sport, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photograph/Steven Senne)
BOSTON — Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 38 factors and the NBA-best Boston Celtics rested their total beginning lineup in a 132-122 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday within the groups’ regular-season finale.
Svi Mykhailiuk added 26 factors and Sam Hauser 16 for Boston, which sat Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Vacation together with prime reserve Al Horford.
Pritchard added 12 assists with 9 rebounds. In final yr’s last regular-season sport, the 6-foot-1 Pritchard had a triple-double with 30 factors, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, becoming a member of Larry Hen and John Havlicek as the one Celtics with at the very least 30 factors, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a sport.
#CelticsWin pic.twitter.com/dx6oHl0K2B
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 14, 2024
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He picked up his ninth rebound with 5:22 left within the sport and performed the remainder of the way in which.
“If it got here, I’ll take it. However I bought one final yr,” he stated, smiling. “It wasn’t like I had strain to get my first triple-double. I’m a reasonably good rebounder. So if I get the minutes, I feel I’ll have the ability to get one other triple-double.”
The Celtics (64-18) completed their fifteenth season in membership historical past with 60 or extra wins, the newest in 2008 after they captured the NBA title.
Having misplaced Sport 7 at residence in opposition to Miami within the Jap Convention finals final spring, something lower than a visit to the NBA Finals this yr would very seemingly be considered as a disappointment.
“A very powerful factor getting right into a scenario is having no expectations,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla stated of the upcoming postseason. “Should you research groups which have even been lucky sufficient, and if we’re lucky sufficient to get to a Finals, if not win it, the street there’s at all times forgotten by the results of profitable.”
The Wizards (15-67) ended their third straight season and fifth previously six and not using a playoff berth. Eugene Omoruyi led them with a career-best 26 factors and Jared Butler had 22 of their sixth straight loss.
“I feel we developed a variety of resilience and we developed a aggressive ambiance, and we discovered concerning the course of; what it takes to be a extremely good staff,” Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe stated. “We’ve nonetheless bought a variety of work to do, however I feel we began laying the muse for that.”
Pritchard performed all 82 video games this season. He scored 14 factors within the last 2:19 of the opening half, connecting on all 4 of his 3-point makes an attempt to offer Boston a 69-59 halftime edge.
At halftime, the Celtics honored TV play-by-play announcer, Mike Gorman, who’s retiring after his forty third season calling their video games. There have been many tributes on the Jumbotron from former Boston gamers and people across the NBA throughout timeouts.
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Wizards: Season over.
Celtics: Await their first-round playoff opponent for subsequent Sunday.
