Payton Pritchard looked past the Celtics’ Game 7 defeat to the 76ers, framing the loss as part of a longer championship build.
A late-game slump ended Boston’s story in the first round, but Payton Pritchard is already looking beyond the sting of the Celtics’ Game 7 loss.
The Boston Celtics’ 56-win season came to a close Saturday night when they fell 109-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden.. The defeat was tied to a late lineup shake-up after Jayson Tatum was ruled out with a knee injury. forcing Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to change his starting group.. With Tatum unavailable. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were joined by Ron Harper Jr.. Baylor Scheierman. and Luka Garza. a lineup that had not started together during the regular season.
Early on. the 76ers set the tone. opening with a 9-0 run and stretching their lead to as many as 15 in the first quarter.. Boston fought back in the second. rallying with an 18-4 run and briefly taking control. going up 37-36 on a Pritchard three-pointer.. Philadelphia responded again to reassert control, leading by five at halftime before widening the margin in the third.
For Boston, the numbers tell part of the story, but the timing carried the rest. Philadelphia’s ability to turn momentum in key stretches, combined with Boston’s late offensive drought, made the difference in a tense Game 7.
The Celtics did not go quietly.. They cut the deficit down to one with under two minutes left. but the final minutes belonged to the 76ers as Boston went scoreless from the field in the closing stretch.. Pritchard. who finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting. also contributed on the glass and playmaking side with five rebounds. seven assists. and a steal.
In a postgame moment that contrasted the disappointment on the court, Pritchard pointed to the bigger picture.. He described the 2025-26 season as a foundation for what could come next. comparing the experience to earlier setbacks that preceded a championship run.. His message was simple: a single season ending in defeat does not erase the work done for future success.
Meanwhile, the 76ers were powered by Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.. Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.. Boston’s offense struggled from distance as well. going 13-of-49 from three-point range and missing each of its final 10 field goals in the last five minutes.
This is where playoff seasons often separate the short-term from the lasting lessons. For the Celtics, the challenge now is turning this Game 7 exit into clarity rather than hesitation, so the effort that led to 56 wins can pay off in the next postseason.
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