Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been dealing with an injury to a finger on his left (non-shooting) hand, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt his accuracy.
Entering Wednesday’s game against the visiting Atlanta Hawks, Pritchard is averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.7% from 3-point range this season.
Pritchard tossed in a game-high 23 points during Boston’s 102-94 victory over Portland on Monday night. He made five 3-pointers and also connected on shots that beat the buzzer in each of the first two quarters.
Pritchard said he first injured the finger during a game against Portland on Dec. 28. He appeared to aggravate the injury late in the fourth quarter Monday, but returned to the game following a quick trip to the locker room.
“When you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries,” Pritchard said. “I’ve been dealing with it, jamming it back and forth, and then he just kind of hit it.”
His shooting statistics have improved since the original injury. Pritchard is shooting 46.9% from the field and 40.3% from 3-point range in January after making just 30.9% of his 3-point attempts in December.
Atlanta will enter Wednesday’s matchup on a three-game winning streak. The Hawks have a better record on the road (14-12) than at home (9-13) this season.
Atlanta overcame a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat Indiana 132-116 Monday. CJ McCollum led the way with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
“I thought he was just efficient with everything he did,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought he defended well, too.
“We want to get in the paint, and to understand when you get in there it’s not always for your opportunity to finish, but to spray it out to guys. That’s why we talk about spacing so much. … You’re always involved in the play, even when you think someone else is going to take the shot.”
Atlanta’s Kristaps Porzingis, who played for Boston last season, has missed the last nine games with Achilles tendinitis and won’t play Wednesday. The Hawks said Porzingis will be evaluated in early February.
Atlanta forward Zaccarie Risacher also missed his ninth straight game Monday because of a knee contusion. While the team said he may be ready to play in Wednesday’s game, he’s since been ruled out. Risacher is averaging 11.2 points per contest in 36 games this season.
Boston centers Neemias Queta and Luke Garza were both dealing with an illness Monday. Queta was limited to 22 minutes in the win over Portland and Garza didn’t play at all. Rookie center Amari Williams contributed nine points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Williams has played primarily with the Maine Celtics in the G League this season.
Queta is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game and Garza is questionable, perhaps opening the door to another game with more minutes for Williams.
“This matchup really suited him, and his strengths were kind of highlighted in his ability to set screens for us and his ability to help protect the rim and rebound,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said following Monday’s game. “But it’s also his work ethic. Our system is constantly changing, and so you have to be able to make reads on the fly on both ends of the floor.”
