Pritchard’s 34 Seals Season Sweep as Celtics Outlast Hornets 93-86 in Regular Season Finale
On a day when stars rested and depth was tested, it was Payton Pritchard who took centre stage.
The Boston Celtics guard erupted for 34 points, leading a skeleton squad to a 93-86 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. With the win, the Celtics improved to 61-21 and sealed a clean 4-0 sweep of their regular-season series against Charlotte. The Hornets, meanwhile, concluded a disappointing campaign at 19-63, finishing with the third-worst record in the NBA.
A Tale of Two Rotations
With their playoff seed secured, Boston gave the day off to virtually all their primary contributors — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford all sat out, leaving the young guns and reserves to carry the load.
And they did exactly that.
Pritchard, often the spark off the bench during the regular season, embraced his starring role with a dazzling display of shooting, tempo control and toughness. He shot 13-for-21 from the field and hit 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in a game where the offence often ran through him.
Sam Hauser added 15 points, while Luke Kornet chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds. Rookie Jordan Walsh also impressed with 10 points and eight boards, showing good energy at both ends.
Charlotte, by contrast, fielded most of its usual lineup, though motivation seemed lacking. Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkić each scored 14 points, with Nurkić also pulling down nine rebounds. But the Hornets’ effort felt flat for long stretches — a familiar story in what has been a long, bruising season.
From Blowout to Nail-Biter
Boston came out of the gate firing. A 16-0 run helped the Celtics storm to a 24-5 lead, and they held a commanding 33-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter. They hit 7-of-14 three-pointers in the opening 12 minutes and appeared to be cruising toward an easy win.
But Charlotte — to their credit — didn’t fold.
The Hornets clawed back into the game with a 9-0 run in the third quarter and even briefly took the lead late in the frame on a Moussa Diabate dunk, going up 64-63. Boston, however, regained composure quickly, retaking the lead at the quarter’s end and never surrendering it again.
When Diabate tied the game at 86-86 with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth, the Celtics shut the door. They scored the final seven points of the game and held Charlotte scoreless the rest of the way — a testament to both discipline and defence from Boston’s backups.
It was a gritty win, the kind that bodes well for postseason readiness, regardless of who’s on the floor.
Betting Recap: How Did the Predictions Fare?
From a betting perspective, this match offered a few surprises — particularly in the total points market. In our America Bet match preview, we predicted a blowout with Boston’s deep bench still being too much for Charlotte. While that came true in terms of the result, the total points outcome did not hit the heights many expected.
Here’s how our top picks stacked up:
🔹 Boston Celtics to win — ✅ Hit
🔹 Payton Pritchard Over 17.5 Points — ✅ Smash hit with 34 points
🔹 Celtics -12.5 Handicap — ❌ Miss (Boston won by just 7)
🔹 Total Points Over 215.5 — ❌ Miss (Final total: 179)
🔹 Celtics to Win Every Quarter — ❌ Miss (Charlotte outscored Boston in the 3rd)
🔹 Sam Hauser Over 3.5 Threes — Close, but ❌ (Finished with 2)
🔹 Celtics Bench Points Over 60 — ✅ Landed comfortably with multiple contributors
In all, it was a day for bettors who backed Boston’s backups to shine individually, but the low-scoring nature of the game — especially in the fourth quarter — saw a few popular overs fall short.
With the win, the Celtics now await the winner of the Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks play-in clash. Whoever emerges will take on the No. 2 seed Celtics in the first round, a daunting challenge against a team boasting the league’s best point differential and arguably the deepest roster.
As for Charlotte, it’s back to the draft board and rebuild strategy. The Hornets finish the year on a seven-game losing streak, having lost nine straight on the road. They were 5-31 against teams above .500, a telling stat that summarises their 2024-25 campaign in a nutshell.
Still, there were glimpses of potential. Young players like Diabate and rookie Nick Smith Jr. showed promise, and the team’s commitment to development in the final weeks has at least given fans something to look forward to.
For Boston, though, it’s all eyes on the title. And if Sunday’s effort from the B-team is any indication, they’ll enter the postseason not just with talent, but with confidence at every level of the roster.
