Payton Pritchard scores playoff career-high 32 points on Sunday night

Three-pointers, mid-range jumpers, layups and a patented buzzer-beater — all shots that former Oregon Ducks guard Payton Pritchard hit for the Boston Celtics in their 128-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, extending the Celtics' series lead to 3-1.

In all, Pritchard finished with a playoff career-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range while adding four rebounds and five assists. He was the leading scorer in the game and came close to making Celtics history, as Kevin McHale holds the Celtics playoff record with 34 points off the bench. Pritchard came just three points short from breaking the record and two points short of tying it.

From the moment that the former Duck checked into the game in the first quarter, he was on fire. His 13 first-quarter points are also a playoff career-high for any quarter, with his running buzzer-beating triple serving as the cherry on top as the Celtics built a 16-point lead after the first stanza.

It's already been a terrific season for Pritchard, who averaged a career-high 17.0 points per game in the regular season to go along with 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He converted on 46.4% of his shots from the field and 37.7% from deep, starting 50 games in the absence of star Jayson Tatum.

Pritchard came off the bench for 29 games, narrowly missing out on being eligible for the Sixth Man of the Year award, an honor he almost certainly would've won for the second year in a row.

Pritchard's scoring clinic on Sunday evening was nothing new for Duck fans, who watched him hit clutch shot after clutch shot during his four seasons in Eugene. He's continuing to do so in his sixth season in the NBA, with a new playoff scoring career-high to boot.