Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wanted to properly credit reserve guard Payton Pritchard with the “play of the game” after Sunday’s game 2 win over the Mavericks.

Mazzulla was asked a question about Jayson Tatum to kick off his post-game press conference, but he turned his answer to Pritchard, who nailed a 34-foot three-pointer from the finals logo at the buzzer to end the third quarter, giving the Celtics an 83-74 lead.

“I think the play of the game can’t go unnoticed, the humility of our team, is Payton’s shot at the end of the quarter. You see guys around the league pass up on that shot or fake like they want to take it, so that their numbers don’t get messed up. He takes pride in taking that, and that’s winning basketball. So that’s the first and foremost.

That should have been the first question, is the ability of everybody on our team to do different things that lead to winning. I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball. Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor, is the most important thing.”

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said he heard Pritchard checked himself into the game for the shot. Mazzulla said his plan was insert Pritchard into the game to run up and that that deep shot.

“That’s what Payton Pritchard does,” point guard Derrick White said. “If you watch us late clock, he doesn’t shy away from that moment. That was a big-time shot, kind of got us momentum. You just love Payton. You love competing with him. It was a big-time shot.”