PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Former Oregon Ducks star Payton Pritchard has been making headlines in the NBA, but his performance against the Washington Wizards on Sunday night put him in the record books.
Pritchard came off the bench and scored 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc in the Celtics 112-98 win. In just 26 games, the guard passed has hit 101 3-pointers this season, the second-best mark in the NBA. This surpassed Kemba Walker's previous record of 27 games in 2019–20, which creates a new Celtics franchise record for the fastest player to reach 100 threes at the beginning of a season.
Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Pritchard surpassed Davis Bertans' 27-game mark from 2019–20 to become the NBA’s fastest bench player to reach 100 threes.
Pritchard is scoring a career-high 16.5 points per game on average this season, shooting 48.5% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range.
With at least five threes in four straight games—seven against Detroit, six against Memphis, and five against Washington—the shooting guard has been on fire lately. Pritchard is the first player in NBA history to have two three-game streaks of five or more triples off the bench in a single season.
In addition to his ability to score, Pritchard set a new standard for Celtics reserves with his well-rounded effort against the Wizards. Along with teammate Luke Cornet, they became the first Boston bench combination to accumulate at least 11 rebounds and four assists apiece in a single game. They are the first NBA team to achieve this feat since 1997.
Pritchard's historic night in Washington, D.C., is only the most recent development in the fifth-year guard's incredible season. He has more games with five made threes than anyone in the NBA (13).
Before his professional career, Payton Pritchard was a vital member for four seasons at the University of Oregon. During his freshman season (2016–17), he started nearly every game and led the Ducks to their first Final Four since 1939. He was the only returning starter and led the team in scoring during his sophomore season, averaging 14.5 points and 4.8 assists.
Pritchard won pac-12 Tournament MVP during his junior year, leading Oregon to a Pac-12 Tournament championship and a trip to the Sweet 16. He returned for his senior year (2019–20), averaged 20.5 points, earned Pac-12 Player of the Year, became the all-time leader in assists at Oregon, and was given the Bob Cousy Award for being the top point guard in the country.
