CHARLOTTE — The Celtics could be without Payton Pritchard when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Pritchard exited Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Buckets in the third quarter due to a right eye abrasian. He was deemed questionable to return, and never did. The Celtics once again listed him as questionable in Thursday’s injury report.
Joe Mazzulla provided a brief update on the 28-year-old
after the Celtics’ 109-102 victory over the Bucks.
“He’s okay,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but he got hit in the eye, hit in the head. Seems to be okay.”
Payton Pritchard has been a key contributor off the bench
Pritchard is averaging 13 points (the third-most on the team) to go along with 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds. He’s come off the bench in every game he’s played thus far.
Otherwise, Joe Mazzulla has mixed up starting lineups quite a bit.
The Celtics have started Derrick White, Paul George and Jayson Tatum for every game they’ve been available for this season (George and Tatum have each missed one game in order to rest).
Mitchell Robinson started the first five game of the season, while Neemias Queta started the last three. Jordan Walsh started the first five games of the season, and Hugo Gonzalez started the last three in place of him. Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman have each started one game. Eleven players on the roster, a list that also includes Luka Garza, have averaged double-digit minutes per game.
Ahead of Wednesday’s game, Pritchard was listed on the injury report with an unrelated injury, a right shoulder contusion. But, he was upgraded to available before game-time, and tallied 10 points and 5 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench before his eye injry.
The Celtics are coming off of a win over the Bucks in which Paul George led the way with 25 points and 4 steals, and Derrick White added 24 points and 7 assists. They’re now 6-2 on the season; the Hornets are 3-6.
Celtics-Hornets tips off at 7pm ET on Friday night.
