Joe Mazzulla On Payton Pritchard's Impact in Celtics' Win vs. Nets: 'He Changed the Game'

On Friday, the Boston Celtics picked up a comfortable 121-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. This was their opening match of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.

Per Inside The Celtics, after the win, Joe Mazzulla praised Payton Pritchard’s impact on the court.

“To me, he changed the game for us,” Mazzulla said. “It started with Payton. It's easy to look at the scoring on the bench and feel like they're not producing. But it's so much other stuff that they do for us on a daily basis. ... Tonight, we got to see the other side of that.”

Pritchard registered 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists over 30 minutes. Fellow bench-mates Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet combined for 22 points. The latter also grabbed nine boards, including six at the offensive end.

While highlighting the second unit's contributions, Mazzulla expressed, "It's easy to look at the scoring of the bench and be like, 'they're not producing,' but there's so much other stuff that they do for us on a daily basis, and our defense has been tremendous with them on the floor, and tonight we got to see the other side of that."

Boston's bench boss added, "I never lose confidence in them because of the work that they put in."

The Celtics’ next game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11, against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden; tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Further Reading

Celtics' Stars Shine, Bench Helps Boost Boston to Win in First In-Season Tournament Tilt

Kristaps Porzingis Assesses Celtics Last Attempt in Loss to 76ers

Celtics Enamored with Threes That Don't Love Them Back in Loss vs. 76ers

Examining What Went Wrong for Celtics' Offense in Loss vs. Timberwolves

Jayson Tatum Discusses the Bond Between Him and the City He Stars In

From Self Doubt to Celtics History, Jayson Tatum Discusses Journey to 10,000 Points: 'I Didn't Think I Was Good Enough'

Jrue Holiday Discusses Celtics' Offense and Their Mindset: 'That's How Most People Like to Play Basketball'

Here's Where Jaylen Brown Impressed Joe Mazzulla the Most in Celtics' Win vs. Heat

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative