Payton Pritchard talks Reggie Miller friendship after Game 4 heroics

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Payton Pritchard talks Reggie Miller friendship after Game 4 heroics

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Mon, Apr 27, 2026 ·

3 min read

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PHILADELPHIA — There was a somewhat common sight with Payton Pritchard putting together his latest heater in the Game 4 win against the Sixers : Barking at Reggie Miller. The Hall of Fame guard has been on the television call for multiple Celtics games in the past, and if Pritchard is having a big game, he'll occasionally yap at Miller running back down the court .

It's not necessarily trash talk, Pritchard said, calling it "friendly banter." Regardless, it hypes Pritchard up midgame as he scored buckets on the opposition. This time, it was a playoff career-high 32 points as the Celtics blew out the Sixers on Sunday to take the 3-1 series lead.

"I get going off that and I probably use it to my advantage to get going even more," Pritchard said. "I don't even know. I black out in those moments, so I don't really know what I say at times. But it helps."

Pritchard has revealed in the past that Miller asked the C's guard for ball-handling drills for his son. So there's a prior relationship there between the two guards. Miller enjoyed an 18-year Hall of Fame career with the Pacers and is regarded as one of the greatest shooters of all-time.

There is another layer to the Pritchard and Miller relationship. Earlier this season, when asked for a player comparison for WNBA star Caitlin Clark, Miller said he believed Clark played like Pritchard . That drew some viral attention considering Clark is one of the superstars in the WNBA. But as he showed Sunday, Pritchard can play, too. But when it comes to Pritchard and Miller, he said there's a ton of respect.

"It's not an angry thing," Pritchard said. "I don't know how to change my face when I'm talking like that. But no, there's a love between our relationship."

Pritchard had his best game of the playoffs, lifting the Celtics to the victory Sunday. It was a slow start for both teams offensively, but that all changed once Pritchard checked in midway through the first quarter. The C's bench stepped up in a big way to build a massive lead in the first half, never letting the Sixers back into the game.

It's been an up-and-down playoffs for Pritchard through the opening four games. He hit a massive 3-pointer in the Celtics' Game 3 win in the final seconds. But he also struggled in Game 2, scoring just four points on 2-for-8 shooting. That's when Pritchard said he wanted to bounce back after a frustrating night in what has been the Celtics' only loss this series.

The Celtics will need plenty more Pritchard heroics this postseason if they want another deep playoff run. They're now one win away from eliminating the Sixers as the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5. It was another comfortable victory Sunday, but the Celtics said they'll be dialed back in to finish off the Sixers.

"Definitely very disappointed at Game 2," Pritchard said. "I felt like I was kind of a shell of myself. Bad decisions. Shot making wasn't great. So just coming out, just kind of trying to forget about it and just come out with a different aggression, a different attack mode, trying to get downhill."

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