The Celtics, in what’s been a common issue recently, were again down three starters as they faced the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The C’s, of course, want be as healthy as possible for each of their games. But missing some key guys does have a sneaky benefit: it allows the Celtics to feature their entire roster.
Look no further than Wednesday’s 128-118 win over the Blazers in what ended up becoming a historic night. Payton Pritchard poured in a career-high 43 points while Derrick White put up his own career-high with 41 points. Pritchard also made 10 3-pointers while White finished with nine makes from deep — that was an NBA record.
So on a night where the Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, they got to instead feature their impeccable depth. And it’s that talented roster that makes the reigning champs so dangerous as they have a real chance to go for back-to-back titles.
“Tonight was fun, but we know what the bigger picture is and we know what we’re working for and what we’re working towards,” White said. “So it’s not about me and it never will be about me. Whatever the team needs, whatever it is that night, I gotta do it and just help us win games.”
The Celtics have also been all about sacrifice the past few years as they’ve prioritized winning. That ethos was rewarded last season when they won the 2024 title, and while they’ve hit some roadblocks this year, it’s also working well this season.
Look no further than the history-setting night Wednesday. Pritchard could have kept pulling up from deep as he was only one 3-pointer away from tying Marcus Smart’s franchise record for most 3s in a game. But instead, he played with a sound process as he didn’t go hunting for his own shot.
“I didn’t even know I had 10 3s at the moment, but I wouldn’t have gunned for it anyways because then it sets a new standard,” Pritchard said. “I feel like that’s disrespectful to the game, disrespectful to my teammates. But if I got it in the flow and took a shot that was a good shot for us and broke it that way, then that’s the right way to break it.”
Now, the Celtics will regroup for their 7:30 p.m. Thursday game against the 76ers as part of a back-to-back. They’ll likely get back some of their starters they were without in the Blazers win, though someone like Al Horford will sit for rest. That means the C’s will likely be again shorthanded in some capacity, though that again gives them the chance to feature some of their other guys.
“What I was most impressed with is, Payton and Derrick just continuing to trust in the team, continuing to move the ball and trying to get the best shot every time,” Horford said. “I felt like they did a good job of that. Sometimes when you get up in those numbers, you want to press and feed the hot hand and things like that. That’s OK to an extent, but I just felt like they had a good balance of when to shoot, when to pass, when to move it. That’s pretty unique.”
