Payton Pritchard scores 34 points in Celtics’ 93-86 regular-season ending victory over Hornets

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 34 points on Sunday and the Boston Celtics swept consecutive home games against the Charlotte Hornets with a 93-86 victory despite blowing a 21-point first-half lead in a regular-season ending matchup of all reserves.

Sam Hauser added 15 points for Boston (61-21), which begins the defense of its NBA title in the playoffs next weekend. Pritchard scored 12 in the final quarter.

Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic each scored 14 points for the Hornets (19-63), who lost their seventh straight.

Neither team played any of their regular starters.

The Celtics played all their regulars Friday — except Jaylen Brown — and won by 36 points. Brown missed the final two games to rest his troublesome right knee that’s been bothering him for a month or so.

Charlotte Hornets’ KJ Simpson (25) drives past Boston Celtics’ Drew Peterson (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Charlotte’s Seth Curry didn’t play and finished the season hitting 45.6% on 3s. On Friday, he slipped ahead of Sacramento’s Zach LaVine and became eligible for the league’s top percentage by making his 82nd.

It was the second time this week the Celtics sat out their top six players. They also did in a 20-point loss at Orlando on Wednesday.

Takeaways

Hornets: Lost 12 of their final 13 and haven’t made the playoffs since 2016.

Celtics: Completed their second straight 60-win season, the first back-to-back since 2007-08 and 2008-09 when they won the title and lost in the East semifinals, respectively.

Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, left, and Derrick White watch from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Key moment

Pritchard, a strong candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man award, had nine points in the first quarter when Boston opened a 19-5 edge in the opening six minutes.

Key stat

Boston made 14 3’s, increasing its NBA record for a season to 1,457. The Celtics passed the previous high this month, set by Golden State two years ago.

Up next

Charlotte Hornets’ Tidjane Salaun (31) drives for the basket against Boston Celtics’ Neemias Queta (88) and Baylor Scheierman (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

The Hornets are done. The Celtics await their first-round playoff opponent for next weekend.

­___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.