The Boston Celtics fended off the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on Wednesday, largely thanks to standout performances from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.
The tandem of guards combined to make some incredible franchise history in the win. Pritchard scored a career-high 43 points while draining 10 threes, and White had a similarly outstanding game with 41 points (also a career high) and nine threes. Together, the two combined for 84 points and became the first duo in Celtics history to score 40 points each in a game.
Considering the illustrious history of Boston's NBA franchise, which has been the home of some of the greatest talents to ever suit up in the league, that's a remarkably impressive feat. Especially given Pritchard came off the bench on Wednesday.
With Jayson Tatum out of the lineup, Pritchard and White had the green light to carry more of the load offensively. They delivered beyond anyone's wildest expectations, combining for 19 made threes on 33 attempts. Their 19 threes were the most ever by a pair of teammates in a single game.
What Steph and Klay couldn’t do, White and Pritchard did.
Pritchard's 43 points off the bench were the 18th most in a single game in league history. That record belongs to Jamal Crawford who registered 51 in 2019 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. It was the second most points off the bench by a Celtics player in history, too, trailing only a 47-point outburst from the great Larry Bird against the Milwaukee Bucks back in 1985.
