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BOSTON — It took only five minutes for Payton Pritchard to find his rhythm. He needed the next five to answer head coach Joe Mazzulla’s call Friday night against the Bulls to begin Boston’s NBA Cup run.
Pritchard grabbed an offensive rebound by successfully boxing out 6-foot-9 Matas Buzelis before finishing the putback in the second quarter. On the next possession, he knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night, prompting Chicago to call a timeout. Mazzulla was waiting for him on the sideline, greeting Pritchard with a huge hug.
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“Joe challenged me,” Pritchard said after Boston’s 125-111 NBA Cup win. “I feel like in the first four games my defensive activity and my rebounding have been poor. Obviously, that’s coming in and out, fluctuating minutes. So challenging me to step up in that area, and I think the hug was for me doing that and him being thankful I’m doing it.”
Mazzulla wanted the scrappy, menacing version of Pritchard to appear on both sides of the floor. He wanted the guard who gives opposing teams headaches offensively and defensively by going the extra mile. In return, Pritchard tapped into his 8-Mile persona.
With legendary rapper 50 Cent seated courtside next to the Tatum family, Pritchard unleashed his inner P-Rabbit against the Bulls, and Mazzulla’s excitement was shared by the rest of the team.
Paul George, Hugo González and Mike Conley were among those who rushed toward Pritchard before Mazzulla could get to him. For the second time this week, Pritchard turned Chicago’s defense into his own personal playground. Only this time, his impact extended well beyond scoring, as he made his presence felt in multiple areas of the floor.
Pritchard is in his seventh season with the Celtics and has already been a vital part of a championship team. He’s brought home a Sixth Man of the Year Award and recently signed a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension before the start of the season. But in Mazzulla’s eyes, there is still plenty of untapped potential within the undersized 6-foot-1 guard.
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“I think Payton’s a guy that gets better every year, and I think the sky’s the limit for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/joe-mazzulla-challenged-payton-pritchard-100000068.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-31 10:00:00
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