Payton Pritchard Gets Real On Importance Of His Buzzer-Beater Heroics originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics picked up another important victory on Friday night, as they handed the Atlanta Hawks a 109-102 defeat. With Jaylen Brown missing this game, it was Payton Pritchard who stepped up and led the Celtics to victory.

Pritchard has emerged as a lethal scoring threat for Boston this season, and that continued against Atlanta, as he led all scorers with 36 points. Along the way, Pritchard hit another one of his patented buzzer-beater shots, and after the game, he took a second to explain why these plays are so important to him.

"It's a momentum play, and the crowd feels it. Our team feels it," Pritchard said. "I feel like it's crucial because ending a quarter or a half and then going into the next possession, you get that energy and that momentum swing."

It's telling that, on a team featuring the likes of Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, Pritchard is the guy getting the ball in these last-second situations. That's because, more often than not, he manages to find the bottom of the bucket and put points on the board for his team.

Even with Tatum's return, Pritchard has remained a crucial part of the offense, and considering how he's averaging a career-high 16.9 points per game, that likely isn't going to change anytime soon. Boston will face another tough challenge when it returns to action on Sunday, as it will square off against a streaking Charlotte Hornets squad.

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Payton Pritchard Scores 36 Points Off Bench As Celtics Handle Hawks At Home originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-102 on Friday night at TD Garden despite Jaylen Brown being sidelined by left Achilles tendinitis. Boston improved to 49-24 while Atlanta dropped to 41-33.

Payton Pritchard led the way with 36 points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench; he was 13-of-23 from the field and 6-of-11 from 3-point range -- a very efficient shooting night.

Jayson Tatum added an all-around performance of 26 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.

Clock winding down? PUT IT IN PAYTON PRITCHARD’S HANDS. 😤

Scoop lay just out of the reach of the defender to beat the 1Q horn! pic.twitter.com/5MZQL1Dvx2

— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2026

The Hawks built a 60-55 halftime edge thanks to a balanced attack. All-Star wing Jalen Johnson paced Atlanta with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, while CJ McCollum added 21.

Atlanta led by as many as 16 early, but the momentum shifted sharply in the third quarter. Boston outscored the visitors 32-22 in the period.

Boston is now 26-11 at home this season. The Celtics are four games back of the first-place Detroit Pistons and 1.5 games ahead of the third-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings.

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Stephen A. Smith Backs Celtics To Win Eastern Conference originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Stephen A. Smith is a massive New York Knicks fan, but even he is on the Boston Celtics bandwagon now.

The Celtics and Knicks are in a tight race for the two seed in the Eastern Conference as the NBA regular season winds down. Boston holds a one-game lead in the standings and is up two games in the loss column following New York's loss to the red-hot Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons are without Cade Cunningham at the moment and the Cleveland Cavaliers are a distant fourth in the East.

After the Celtics' impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Smith said nobody in the East looks better than Boston right now.

Stephen A. Smith says nobody looks better than Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference:

“I’m just looking at them right now and imagining if Jayson Tatum gets back to 100%. If Jaylen Brown continues to look this way, what are you going to do about the Boston Celtics? I’m just… pic.twitter.com/Qm352BgxnX

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 26, 2026

"The Boston Celtics are not going away. They're making you pay attention to them, and you damn well better do it," Smith said on Thursday's episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show." "I've got the Boston Celtics looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference right now. Tell me I'm wrong."

It's hard to argue with him. The Celtics are 7-2 in Jayson Tatum's games since he returned from his Achilles injury, and he's not even 100 percent yet. Just wait until he's back to normal.

Boston has won five of its last six games and is finishing the season strong as it gears up for the playoffs. Not surprisingly, the Celtics are favored to win the East, so the sportsbooks agree with Smith.

Smith has been praising Boston a lot lately, and its easy to see why. The Celtics are deep, well-coached and dominating both ends of the floor, proving they're still the cream of the crop even with a diminished Tatum.

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NBA Insider Fires Back At Jayson Tatum Critics After Celtics' Win Vs. Thunder originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics pulled out arguably their biggest win of the 2025-26 campaign, as they handed the Oklahoma City Thunder a 119-109 defeat on Wednesday night. While Jaylen Brown led the way for the C's, Jayson Tatum also turned in another all-around performance.

Tatum has been shaking off the rust after missing 10 months of action while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. While he's made a big impact in several areas of the game for Boston, he has struggled to find his shot to this point. Some folks have begun to get concerned, but NBA insider Tim MacMahon of ESPN made it clear that there's no reason to panic about Tatum right now.

"Stop sweating small sample-size shooting numbers from a dude fresh off a frickin' 10-month Achilles rehab," MacMahon bluntly said on "Get Up." "They don't need Jayson Tatum at his best, or close to it, in March. They need that guy in May ... Don't worry about what he looks like right now. He is ramping up. If he's close to himself come playoff time, the Celtics are the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference."

In his first nine games, Tatum is averaging 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Sure, his shooting splits could be better (39.1% from the field, 30.9% from three), but those figures will improve over time. Tatum has made an immediate impact as a rebounder, and teams are already sending a ton of attention his way on offense. 

The gravity Tatum draws is opening things up for his teammates, so even if he isn't hitting all of his shots, he's still making the lives of every player he shares the court with easier. Boston will look to keep up the positive momentum when it squares off against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

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Thunder Coach Praises Jayson Tatum's Impact On Celtics After Monster Game originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the Boston Celtics lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder by two points two weeks ago on the road, they didn't have Jayson Tatum, who received his first game off since returning from his Achilles injury.

The Celtics did have Tatum for Wednesday's rematch against the Thunder at TD Garden, and it made a massive difference, especially during crunch time. Whereas Boston fell short in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, it was able to hold on for the win this time around.

After the game, Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daignault praised Tatum's impact on the Celtics, even if he still isn't 100 percent yet.

"He's a great player and their ceiling is significantly higher when he's out there ... he's not in full form right off the bat, and he'll just get better and better as he gets more reps and minutes," Daignault said during his postgame press conference.

Mark Daignault on Jayson Tatum playing in 2nd OKC game: "He's a great player and their ceiling is significantly higher when he's out there ... he's not in full form right off the bat, and he'll just get better and better as he gets more reps and minutes." @CLNSMediapic.twitter.com/wHNm9qXoJa

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 25, 2026

Tatum proved that on Wednesday, delivering one of his best games of the season. He broke out of his shooting slump with a big double-double, notching 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block.

While he's been up and down since returning from a 10-month absence, Tatum has shown flashes of greatness and has still had a positive impact on Boston despite his shooting woes. The Celtics are 7-2 in his nine games so far, and one of the losses came after Jaylen Brown was ejected in the second quarter.

Even when he's not at his best, Tatum is still a great player capable of making a big impact. He should only keep getting better over the next few weeks and throughout the playoffs as he continues to get more comfortable, too.

If the Thunder face Boston down the road in the NBA Finals, Tatum could be a massive problem for them.

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Celtics Snap Thunder's Winning Streak With Massive Comeback Win originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Wednesday night was a critical game for the Boston Celtics for several reasons. Not only did they need a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to stay ahead of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings, but they also needed to prove they could beat a championship-caliber team after struggling against them all season.

Furthermore, Jayson Tatum desperately needed a bounce-back performance after floundering in his last two games.

Fortunately for the Celtics, they addressed all of those issues with an impressive 119-109 victory over the defending champs at TD Garden. 

Coming off back-to-back rest days, Boston got out to a slow start, falling behind by double digits in the first quarter. The Celtics didn't panic, however, and settled down in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to four points by halftime.

Boston only got better as the game progressed, putting together one of its best second halves of the season. The Celtics scored 70 points after halftime and outscored the Thunder by 14, completing one of their more impressive comebacks of the year.

JB & JT have been moving different for the Celtics 🔥

Boston takes down OKC in a potential NBA Finals preview 🍿 pic.twitter.com/xHcCB8GT5e

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2026

Not only did Oklahoma City have its 12-game winning streak snapped, but it also suffered its first loss by double digits since Feb. 12.

Six Boston players scored in double figures, led by Jaylen Brown's 31. He also notched eight points, eight rebounds and continued to feast at the foul line, going 12-for-14 from the charity stripe in another MVP-caliber performance.

Tatum snapped out of his funk with a big double-double, recording 19 points, 12 boards and seven assists while helping the Celtics win the rebounding battle.

MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 33 points and was highly efficient, going 10-for-12 from both the floor and free throw line.

Now 48-24, Boston will look to build off Wednesday's win and end its homestand on a high note on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

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Jaylen Brown MVP Case Remains Alive As Both PTI Hosts Endorse JB's Candidacy originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown still has a strong case for NBA MVP, especially if you ask Pardon The Interruption's legendary co-hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. Both Wilbon and Kornheiser subtly endorsed Brown for 2025-26 MVP on Wednesday, with Wilbon's words on JB going viral.

“I have a vote in this," Wilbon said. "And I will tell you it’s tightened up. My vote, and I’m not even sure the order. I think it’s Jaylen Brown one, I think it’s SGA two, and I think it’s Victor three. And then don’t talk to me about a guy who plays half the court, Luka Dončić.”

Today on 'PTI,' Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser both say Jaylen Brown is the NBA MVP right now pic.twitter.com/3s7xa04GwW

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2026

Brown has produced a career year this season for the Celts. Through 64 games, the All-Star starter is averaging 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists while logging 34.2 minutes per night. He ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring and is shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.

With Jayson Tatum missing extended time to recover from an Achilles injury over the first 60-plus games, Brown stepped forward as Boston’s clear leader. He delivered multiple 40-point performances and has consistently driven the offense during key stretches. The Celtics sit at 47-24, holding the second spot in the Eastern Conference and first in the Atlantic Division.

Recent efforts for Brown include 32 points in a March 18 victory over Golden State and 30 points in a March 20 win at Memphis. As the regular season enters its final stretch, Brown continues to anchor both ends of the floor for a contending Boston squad.

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Hugo Gonzalez Reveals How Real Madrid Stint Has Helped Him Excel With Celtics originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics have enjoyed an unexpectedly successful 2025-26 campaign. There are several reasons for that being true, but one of the more under-the-radar contributors to this team has been rookie guard Hugo Gonzalez, who has immediately carved out a role in head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation, even with Jayson Tatum now being back on the court.

The No. 28 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many folks figured that Gonzalez would spend most of his time this year in the G-League. Instead, he's suited up for 66 of Boston's games, showing off his potential in the process. After spending much of his youth career playing for Real Madrid in Spain, Gonzalez revealed just how big an impact the team and his former teammates have had on him as he's transitioned to the NBA.

“There are people that help me a lot," Gonzalez said when speaking to reporters recently. "Lucky for me, I've played with a lot of players that had (an) NBA career. Everybody got their own story, everybody got their own experience. And I was blessed that they were always really, really encouraged to help me and try to (help) me to be as good as I can.”

Gonzalez's per-game numbers don't jump off the page (4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.6 APG, 46.7 FG%), but his tenacity, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, has been tough to ignore. Despite being just 20 years old, Gonzalez isn't afraid to mix it up with whoever he finds himself going up against, which has quickly won over Mazzulla.

There's no doubt that Gonzalez's game is still quite raw, but he's done significantly more than fans could have realistically expected this year. With a playoff run looming, Gonzalez figures to remain a key piece of the rotation, and there's no doubt that this experience under the bright lights should serve him well moving forward.

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