BOSTON — Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard isn’t one to make a big deal out of bumps and bruises. To him, they’re just a part of basketball. However, a finger jam in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 102-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night forced him to exit the game and head to the locker room, which is an uncommon sight.
Pritchard later revealed that this finger issue — on his left, non-shooting hand — wasn’t a new thing. In fact, he may have initially aggravated it the last time the Celtics faced the Blazers on December 28th at the Moda Center in Portland.
Payton Pritchard says he’s been dealing with finger issues for about a month now, but he didn’t seem too worried:
“I’m alright…But when you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries.” pic.twitter.com/vU7YPgdrw7
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 27, 2026
“When you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries,” Pritchard said in the locker room following the wire-to-wire win. “I’ve been dealing with it, jamming it back and forth, and then he just kind of hit it.”
When Pritchard went up for a rebound late in the final frame, Blazers center Donovan Clingan struck his hand. And while the Reigning Sixth Man of the Year had to sub out, he eventually returned for a quick 18-second stint before the final buzzer.
Payton Pritchard appeared to jam his finger on a rebound attempt, checked out of the game, and is headed to the locker room pic.twitter.com/KiyKMP2mYn
— SleeperCeltics (@SleeperCeltics) January 27, 2026
“I’ll be alright,” he emphasized.
Although Pritchard could be seen icing his finger in the locker room for a bit, he still managed to record a game-high 23 points on 50% shooting from the field. Clearly whatever discomfort he’s been experiencing isn’t enough to truly slow him down, as he’s averaging 16.5 points per game in January and shooting over 40% from deep.
When the Celtics released their official injury report for their next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, Pritchard’s name was nowhere to be seen. His consistent durability and refusal to sit helps explain why he’s played in 45 of Boston’s 46 contests this season and remarkably missed just two games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Payton Pritchard reveals finger injury nothing out of the ordinary
