Every time a star sits, Pritchard seems to raise his ceiling. Friday was no different
The Celtics didn’t just bounce back Friday night.
They exhaled. And a lot of that had to do with the play of one Payton Pritchard.
We’ll get to him in a minute.
Two days after one of their flattest efforts of the season against Atlanta (24-26), Boston came out at TD Garden looking like a team that had been waiting for the next opportunity to make a point.
Sacramento (12-38) just happened to be in the way.
The result was a 112-93 blowout that was effectively over by halftime, with the Celtics leading by 26 and never allowing the Kings to even flirt with momentum in the second half.
This one felt cathartic.
Playing without Jaylen Brown for the fourth time this season, Boston didn’t miss a beat offensively, leaning heavily on Pritchard - who has quietly become the team’s release valve whenever something feels off.
Pritchard was electric from the opening tip, carving up Sacramento’s defense in pick-and-rolls, knocking down pull-up threes, and generally dictating the pace of the game.
He finished with 29 points and 8 assists on an absurd 12 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.
And it wasn’t just the numbers. It was the tone.
After Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta, Pritchard didn’t sugarcoat things, pointing out that while the bench showed life, the starters didn’t carry their weight.
“Obviously, the starting group didn’t do their job,” he told the media postgame on Wednesday.
Friday looked like the direct response to that sentiment.
Jan 30, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) shoots against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)Boston’s opening quarter was crisp, physical, and decisive - a 40-point blitz that immediately put Sacramento on its heels and signaled there would be no repeat of the Hawks game malaise.
The Kings never recovered.
Boston’s offense flowed easily, especially inside the arc, and the defensive pressure forced Sacramento into rushed shots and empty possessions.
The Celtics built separation with a 25-6 run late in the second quarter, turned the Garden into a runway, and spent much of the second half managing the game rather than chasing it.
By the fourth quarter, Joe Mazzulla was emptying the bench - always the clearest sign of a job well done.
The win pushed Boston to 30-18, and felt like a reset after a slightly uneven stretch over the last couple of weeks.
The Celtics didn’t need this to be pretty. They needed it to be authoritative. Against a Kings team that’s lost seven straight and looks increasingly disconnected, Boston delivered exactly that.
There’s no time to linger, though.
Another opportunity awaits Sunday afternoon, with a struggling Bucks team coming to town. Milwaukee enters at 18-28, Giannis Antetokounmpo is dealing with a calf injury, and trade-deadline speculation is swirling around a roster that looks closer to unraveling than contending.
For the Celtics, Friday was about reestablishing rhythm, edge, and identity.
If the Hawks loss was a warning shot, this was the response - sharp, professional, and decisive.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.