Payton Pritchard , right from tipoff against the Cavaliers, effectively told everyone watching it was going to be one of those kinds of nights. He poured in eight points in less than two minutes, previewing what was to come the rest of the game.

Pritchard was critical in the Celtics’ win over the Cavs on Sunday, putting up a season-high 42 points. He shot 15-for-22 from the field and 6-for-11 on his 3-pointers. But Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson praised one of his notable new skills.

“He’s good,” Atkinson told reporters after the game . “He’s strong. He’s got the midrange jumper. He can get in the lane and kind of bully you and do his little push-off thing and get that two. And obviously a deep, deep 3-point shooter. He’s really turned himself into a heck of a player.”

That short midran

See Full Page