Payton Pritchard’s shooting on the mark as Boston Celtics face Atlanta Hawks
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Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics dribbles past Patrick Williams of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on Jan 24.
PHOTO: AFP
BOSTON – Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been dealing with an injury to a finger on his non-shooting left hand, but it does not seem to have hurt his accuracy.
Entering the National Basketball Association game on Jan 28 (Jan 29 morning, Singapore time) against the visiting Atlanta Hawks, he is averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 45.1 per cent from the field and 34.7 per cent from three-point range this season.
Pritchard tossed in a game-high 23 points during Boston’s 102-94 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan 26. He made five three-pointers and also connected on shots that beat the buzzer in each of the first two quarters.
He said he first injured the finger during a game against Portland on Dec 28. He appeared to aggravate the injury late in the fourth quarter on Jan 26, but returned to the game following a quick trip to the locker room.
“When you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries,” Pritchard said. “I’ve been dealing with it, jamming it back and forth, and then he just kind of hit it.”
His shooting statistics have improved since the original injury.
He is shooting 46.9 per cent from the field and 40.3 per cent from three-point range in January after making just 30.9 per cent of his three-point attempts in December.
Pritchard will be a key player as Atlanta will enter the matchup on a three-game winning streak. The Hawks have a better record on the road (14-12) than at home (9-13) this season.
They overcame a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 132-116 on Jan 26. C.J. McCollum led the way with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
“I thought he was just efficient with everything he did,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said.
“We want to get in the paint, and to understand when you get in there it’s not always for your opportunity to finish, but to spray it out to guys. That’s why we talk about spacing so much. You’re always involved in the play, even when you think someone else is going to take the shot.”
Atlanta’s Kristaps Porzingis, who played for Boston last season, has missed the last nine games with Achilles tendinitis and will not play against the Celtics. Forward Zaccharie Risacher is also ruled out because of a knee issue.
Back in the Boston camp, centres Neemias Queta and Luka Garza were dealing with illness on Jan 26. Queta is listed as doubtful for the Hawks game and Garza is questionable, perhaps opening the door to another game with more minutes for Amari Williams.
The rookie contributed nine points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes against the Trail Blazers.
“His strengths were kind of highlighted in his ability to set screens for us and his ability to help protect the rim and rebound,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said.
“But it’s also his work ethic. Our system is constantly changing and so you have to be able to make reads on the fly on both ends of the floor.” REUTERS
