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[Saba Sports News] The Boston Celtics got star-level performances from unexpected sources on Wednesday night.
In a home win over the Portland Trail Blazers, guards Payton Pritchard and Derrick White made franchise history with their scoring outburst.
Despite coming off the bench, Pritchard erupted for 43 points, hitting 10 three-pointers while adding 10 rebounds and five assists. White wasn’t far behind, dropping 41 points on nine triples as Boston secured a 128-118 victory.
The duo became the first pair of Celtics teammates ever to score 40 points each in the same game. They also set an all-time NBA record for the most combined three-pointers by teammates in a single game with 19.
Their big night was partly necessitated by absences—Boston played without Jayson Tatum (shoulder), Jrue Holiday (finger), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness).
But even without their stars, Pritchard and White put on a performance no Celtics duo—*not* Bird and McHale, Pierce and Garnett, or even Tatum and Brown—had ever accomplished.
The defending champion Celtics have had a relatively quiet season, sitting second in the East with a solid 44-18 record that includes some unexpected losses.
But on this night, all they needed was a scorching performance from two unlikely heroes.