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Payton Pritchard · One glance at the Boston Celtics’ six-player injury report on March 5, 2025 was all it took to confirm that brainstorming would be required if the NBA’s defending champions were to survive absences from multiple stars. In perfectly-poetic fashion, one strategy ultimately surfaced as the best of all: moonball triples from everywhere, courtesy of one Payton Pritchard. Adding yet another chapter to his could-be Sixth Man of the Year saga, the Oregon-born sharpshooter seemingly emerged from the bench with fire at his fingertips, turning the night’s game into a “HORSE” competition. Unbothered by the Portland Trail Blazers’ defense — No. 2 in defensive rating and 3-point percentage allowed over the month-and-half prior to — Pritchard joined his equally-hot teammate on the 40-point plateau, resetting his career-high. Among the must-sees were trapped-in-corner isolation triples over Scoot Henderson, spot-up treys after one of Boston’s gazillion offensive rebounds (18 by night’s end), and one audacious, unconscious catch-and-shoot from behind Boston’s sidecourt logo. Tapping into new levels in 2024-25, Pritchard concluded this night with a 43-point, 10-rebound, five-assist masterpiece, paired with standout efficiency overall (14-of-20), from deep (10-of-16), and from free throw range (five-of-five). · State of Mint