Pritchard and Hauser shine in Clippers blowout

Kristaps Porzingis shined in his triumphant comeback in a 126-94 win over the Clippers, but it wasn’t the only comeback on Monday night.

After a strong November that made him the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year honors, Payton Pritchard had gone just 2-for-8 behind the goal in his last two games against the Wizards and Timberwolves.

His second-unit counterpart, Sam Hauser, is experiencing a season-long slump, making just 32.5% of his threes after shooting 10 percentage points more during the championship run.

But against the backdrop of KP’s first game of the season, Pritchard and Hauser had their own resurgence from the shorts, combining to shoot 9 of 13 from 3.

Midway through the first quarter, Boston and Los Angeles were tied 10-10 when the two sharpshooters came into play. When they exited in the second half, the Celtics were ahead by 16 points, with the duo combining for 18 points in the first half.

“The other guys on the court — Jayson, Jaylen, Jrue, Derrick, KP — they understand that those guys take the pressure off them. These guys have the ability to give us a different look,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of his backup players. “I like the fact that our team understands that everyone has a role and that everyone has a strength. We can go to different frequencies. In the second quarter we were more concerned with off-ball stuff. Jayson was a presenter. We were able to take advantage of our team’s strengths in every game, and our boys understand that.”

It’s not just Pritchard and Hauser’s ability to pressure the floor on the offensive side of the ball. Both have developed into plus defenders since becoming the team’s starters last season. Several times against the Clippers, they were beaten by an ISO shot against James Harden, one of the league’s best scorers/foul dealers, and were able to hold their own.

“Just his ball pressure. Again, everyone talks about the shooting, but I think he’s developed as a player over the last few years and is finding different ways to impact the game,” Mazzulla said of Pritchard. “Shooting is obvious, but his ball pressure and defense have influenced games this year and especially last year. He’s just continuing to develop as a player.”

The clear favorite for 6MOTY praises the coaching staff for developing drills that highlight his and Hauser’s abilities. And if iron sharpens iron, the two have become one of the best one-two punches of any NBA bench.

“You can’t lose us. I’ve said this before: Sam is the best catch-and-shoot and off-ball shooter in the league. You always had to account for him. “You can’t lose him,” Pritchard said of Hauser. “It takes pressure off everyone else and makes the lanes much more open. It just causes chaos.”

Most nights, Pritchard and Hauser won’t be making headlines when the Celtics win. Pritchard said that although he is widely considered a leading candidate for the Sixth Man, he will not be looking for statistics to win the award. Ultimately, he and Hauser are just a part of the Celtics’ larger ecosystem.

“We’re just trying to play the right basketball. They know that when our guys help and we’re open, they should kick the ball and let him have the free shot instead of forcing something. I feel like we have a great rhythm as a team,” Pritchard said. “We understand that when you attack the paint, two on the ball, they kick. Everyone is capable of knocking down shots, and when you shoot at the rim, you have to finish. Basketball is really easy if you do it like that.”