Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard is making an instant impact

Celtics

Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard is making an instant impact

The Boston Celtics suffered their second straight loss on Sunday night as they fell to the Indiana Pacers, 108-107.

Jayson Tatum dropped 25 points and added 11 rebounds, but he was unable to hit his second game-winner of the young season. Jaylen Brown had 18 points in the defeat.

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On the Pacers side, Malcolm Brogdon led the scoring with 25 points. Domantas Sabonis had 19 of his own, and Doug McDermott added 16 off the bench.

There was plenty to take away from Boston’s loss, which brings its record to 1-2. Here are three instant overreactions to Sunday’s game:

1. Celtics have a 3rd quarter problem

The Celtics struggled after halftime on a number of occasions last season, then we saw those issues pop up again in their Christmas Day loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Sure enough, more third-quarter woes proved to be the difference-maker on Sunday night.

Boston had a six-point lead at halftime and blew it in the 3rd as it was outscored by Indiana, 39-28. The Celtics led in all three of the other quarters. Their lifeless play coming out of the locker room needs to be turned around if they’re to get back on track and be a real contender in the East this season.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

2. Payton Pritchard is the real deal.

Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard was a bright spot in the disappointing loss. The Oregon product, who was selected with the No. 26 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, notched 13 points in 23 minutes and shot a perfect 5 for 5 from the field (3 for 3 from beyond the arc). He also had two steals and two assists.

Payton Pritchard comes up with the steal and the bucket

If Pritchard can keep this up, the Celtics bench will be given a much-needed spark this season. Of course, it’s still much too early to expect this kind of effort from the 22-year-old night in and night out.

Verdict: Overreaction

3. Celtics’ bench scoring issues have been solved.

The Celtics bench has often been considered a liability, and rightfully so. Boston’s second unit has left plenty to be desired for the last year or so when it comes to scoring.

On Sunday, however, the bench actually was a strength. We mentioned Pritchard, who was outstanding, but so was big man Robert Williams who had 12 points and four steals. The C’s bench combined for 42 points.

The one disappointment? Jeff Teague. After impressing in the season opener, Teague has 9 total points over his last two games. All nine were scored via the free-throw line on Sunday.

What Pritchard and Williams showed vs. the Pacers was encouraging, but Teague needs to be a consistent contributor if we’re ever going to be excited about this bench. Perhaps old friend Isaiah Thomas could lend a hand?

Verdict: Overreaction

The Celtics will look to bounce back on Tuesday night with another matchup vs. the Pacers. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. right here on NBC Sports Boston.