Celtics' buzzer-beater king demoralizes Trail Blazers

On Monday, Pritchard ended the first and second quarters by beating the buzzer. In the first, it was a classic Pritchard heave, sinking a deep 28-footer to give Boston a 21-point lead. In the second, the Blazers knocked the ball away as Pritchard drove, but he recovered to rattle in a second buzzer-beater.

Payton Pritchard demoralizes opponents

There's a gut-punch element to Pritchard's buzzer-beaters. A quarter seems to be over, and suddenly the Celtics collect unexpected points. On Monday, the Blazers had cut the Celtics' 23-point lead in half, only to go into halftime trailing by 15 after Pritchard's shot.

It may be especially tough given Pritchard's unimposing appearance. Standing 6-foot-1 with his signature crew cut, it seems improbable that Pritchard is an NBA player, though not quite as improbable as some of his late shots.

That's why his big shots especially sting. In the second half, Pritchard's scoring seemed calculated to stop Portland's momentum. He followed a Sidy Cissoko dunk with a three-pointer in the third quarter. Former teammate Robert Williams III blocked a Celtics shot, and Pritchard grabbed the rebound and drained a three. Twice in the second half, the Blazers cut the Celtics' lead to 10 points, and each time, Pritchard scored seconds later.

Perhaps that's why Pritchard is so good with the clock running down. He always wants to hit dagger shots. Doing it just before time expires is the time those shots hurt the most.