Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Hype Payton Pritchard After 32-Point Game in Celtics' G4 Win vs. 76ers

Payton Pritchard took home his first Sixth Man of the Year award last season, and he reminded fans why he won that award on Sunday.

Pritchard put up a game-high 32 points off the bench in the Boston Celtics' 128-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. After the scoring outburst, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had high praise for him.

"It's a luxury to have a guy who can score with the best of them coming off the bench," Tatum said.

Pritchard had the best season of his career in 2025-26, posting 17 points and 5.2 assists per game while taking on a starting role for the first time in his six years in Boston.

Pritchard started coming off the bench in February, but his production didn't take much of a hit. Games like Sunday's are a good reminder that players like Pritchard can be just as valuable to the Celtics as stars like Tatum and Brown.

Boston will look to get more scoring outbursts from its bench weapon as it seeks its second title of this era.

Pritchard wasn't the only one who gave Boston an extra boost on Sunday. The Celtics had plenty of fans in their corner despite being on the road, something Tatum said isn't common for every franchise.

"It's a luxury being a part of the most-winningest franchise in NBA history," Tatum said. "The amount of fans that we have and how well they travel, just something I've been fortunate enough to experience my entire career. We understand it's not like that everywhere else."

Tatum also took some time during his press conference to send well-wishes to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, who suffered a torn Achilles on Saturday.

Tatum suffered the same injury last year during the playoffs.

"I know for a fact I'm gonna reach out to him... He's going to have me in his corner," Tatum said.

After handling business on Sunday, Boston will look to put the series to bed on Tuesday and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.