LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers planned for their Sunday afternoon meeting with the rival Boston Celtics to be a celebration of stars. From the courtside presence of A-listers — like former soccer star David Beckham and Grammy award-winning musician Lionel Richie — to the pregame honors bestowed upon legendary Lakers coach Pat Riley in the form of a new statue, Laker Land embraced its most famous inhabitants. Yet, someone a lot less famous stole the show.
Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard dominated at the Crypto.com Center, recording a game-high 30 points to go along with 8 assists in a 111-89 blowout win over the Lakers. While Celtics fans are well aware of what the reigning Sixth Man of the Year is capable of, Pritchard showed the rest of the world during the primetime contest by hitting a buzzer-beating triple before halftime and making defenders look foolish all game long.
Payton can't be contained and JT LOVES it ☘️☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/p1dvAYiDB6
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 23, 2026
"I feel like I've been in a good stretch, maybe besides the Knicks game where I struggled to shoot a little bit," Pritchard said in the visiting locker room. "Besides that, I've been in a good stretch of making the right reads."
That's putting it lightly.
Since moving to the bench on Feb. 3, Pritchard has scored 20 points or more six times (in seven games). Sunday marked his third straight outing with 25 or more points off the pine and his first 30-ball in a month.
While some players would have their momentum disrupted by a sudden role adjustment, Pritchard has thrived. His ability to accept change and strive to improve, no matter the circumstances, hasn't gone unnoticed.
"It just shows his humility," Celtics star Jaylen Brown said in the locker room. "Payton has caught fire the second part of the season. I think he's really figured it out. So we continue to roll with that, trust that, let him run things because his level of play has raised."
After averaging under 15 points per game in October and missing on 38 of his 46 attempts from 3-point land to start the season, Pritchard has averaged over 20 points per game in February on 50% shooting from the field and about 42% shooting from deep. The Celtics have gone 7-1 in that span and are 37-19 overall following their season sweep of the Lakers.
There are plenty of factors that go into the Celtics' winning ways of late, but Pritchard's play is one of the most apparent, especially after what he accomplished on Sunday on one of the biggest stages in basketball.
"I think he's really kind of figured it out, how to get to his spots...and he's seeing the game well," Brown praised. "Payton has been playing at an All-Star level, and I'm happy to see it. Nobody (is) happier to see it than me. So, you find ways throughout the game to trust him and allow him to run the show."
Pritchard isn't satisfied, though. The 28-year-old refuses to give into complacency and is confident that he hasn't reached his full potential yet.
"I still feel like I'm still evolving, (there’s) another step I can get to," he stated. "So just going to keep working, and I'm going to get to it."
The Celtics have to be giddy at the possibility that there's more to come from Pritchard, as he looked unstoppable at times against the Lakers while shooting over taller defenders and even making Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt fall to the floor.
Payton Pritchard hit a logo 3 and an ankle-breaking 3 in a span of less than 3 minutes pic.twitter.com/DoKJ9sZY8T
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) February 23, 2026
So, what can the Celtics do to ensure Pritchard continues to flourish?
When he has that killer instinct about him like he did on Sunday, Brown has a simple solution:
"Just get the hell out the way," he said with a smile.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jaylen Brown is impressed, but not surprised, by Payton Pritchard's recent hot streak