Celtics’ Payton Pritchard hits another long 3 vs. Bucks, finishes 8 of 12 from long range

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics guard Payton Pritchard was up to some end-of-quarter, long-distance magic again on Monday night.

He hit a 26-foot 3-pointer from the right wing with 0.4 seconds left, giving Boston a 90-82 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks after three quarters.

During Boston’s run to the NBA championship last season, the 6-foot-1 Pritchard hit a pair of key 3-pointers during the Finals, in which Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1.

“I kind of black out in those moments and just let it fly,” he said of his last-second shots. “It’s a gut-punch when you do hit ’em … the momentum swings are crazy.”

Pritchard nailed a shot from near half court in Boston’s series-ending Game 5 victory.

He went 8 of 12 from 3-point range Monday night and finished with 28 points in Boston’s 119-108 victory. His career high for 3s is nine, set on April 9, 2023.

“He’s that little pest that just gets under everybody’s skin and keeps coming,” Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said.

Pritchard also talked about playing one-on-one against a kid in a park near where he lives on Sunday, and joked that he might need to find the boy again after his hot shooting night. His wife, Emma, posted video of the action on social media.

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