The Pritchard Power Hour: Boston’s Bench Spark Douses the Hawks
BOSTON — If you had "Payton Pritchard outscoring Jayson Tatum" on your 2026 bingo card, please come forward to collect your winnings. In a clash that felt more like a rollercoaster than a basketball game, the Boston Celtics survived a frantic start to clip the Atlanta Hawks 109-102 on Friday night.
The Hawks flew into TD Garden looking like the scariest team in the East, boasting a 15-2 record since the All-Star break and a brand-new roster that's been trading players like Pokémon cards. But even with CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson (29 points) firing early, they eventually learned that in Boston, the "bench" is sometimes just a starter in disguise.
The "Fast PP" Special
With Jaylen Brown sidelined by Achilles tendinitis (the Celtics are now a bizarrely good 7-1 without him), Boston needed a hero. Enter Payton Pritchard. The man they call "Fast PP" dropped a massive 36 points, providing the offensive oxygen while Jayson Tatum was busy having a shooting night that could only be described as "eventually successful."
Tatum missed 16 of 24 shots—a stat line that usually results in a formal apology—but he still finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. He sealed the deal with three ice-cold free throws in the final minute, proving that even when your jumper is broken, the charity stripe is always open for business.
From 16 Down to Seven Up
Early on, it looked like the Hawks were going to turn the Garden into their personal aviary. Atlanta jumped out to a 25-9 lead, leaving the Boston crowd wondering if they’d accidentally shown up for a blowout.
Then, the second quarter happened. The Celtics hit seven straight 3-pointers, a barrage so relentless the Hawks' perimeter defense probably needed a GPS to find the shooters. Despite the comeback, Atlanta led 60-55 at the half, but their "best in the East" shooting touch turned into a "back of the rim" festival in the fourth, finishing the night at a lackluster 39% from the field.
By the Numbers:
11-1: Atlanta’s record in March before Friday. They were tied with the Thunder for the best record in the league until Pritchard decided otherwise.
132-57: Boston’s all-time home record against the Hawks. The Garden remains a tough place to play, even if Atlanta had won the last three meetings there.
583 (Wait, Wrong Sport): Actually, let's talk about the 2nd place Celtics staying 4.5 games behind Detroit. The East is a shark tank, and Boston is just trying to keep their fins.
The Trade Deadline Dust-Settling:
The Hawks are a completely different animal after shipping Trae Young to D.C. and Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors. They got Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and CJ McCollum in the shuffle, and while the new-look squad is surging, they couldn't quite find the "edge" (shoutout to Alabama) to finish off the C's.
Next Up: * Hawks: Fly home to host Sacramento on Saturday night.
Celtics: Head to Charlotte on Sunday to see if they can keep the momentum going without Jaylen Brown’s Achilles acting up.
