On Thursday night, Payton starred in his role off the bench, raining triples against a porous Philadelphia 76ers defense. During the 124-104 victory, Pritchard poured in a Celtics-most 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor and dished out four dimes across just 31:23 of action.

The 6-foot-1 pro shot 8-of-15 from long range, marking the third time in his career he’s had eight or more made triple tries.

Speaking after the win, Tatum talked with TNT’s Allie LaForce about Pritchard deserving the Sixth Man of the Year honor.

“He’s unbelievable, what he brings to this team on a given night, especially off the bench. We’ve got a few weeks left, but he’s got to be Sixth Man of the Year,” Tatum told LaForce.

For his part, Tatum chipped in a 15-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. All-Star Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown contributed 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, dished out six dimes and grabbed six rebounds.

Another potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate (although he’s likely to be lapped by Pritchard in voting), former five-time All-Star big man Al Horford, scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field (3-of-5 from deep) and pulled down four boards. All-Defensive Second Team guard Derrick White chipped in a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double of his own, while starting center Kristaps Porzingis notched 17 points while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor (3-of-6 from long range) and 4-of-5 from the foul line.

With the win (its fourth straight), Boston improved to a 40-16 record on the season as it looks to defend its 2024 title.

As the top-scoring reserve on a major contender, Pritchard has been a prominent figure across the NBA landscape, and seems to have a very good shot at notching some end-of-year hardware beyond a Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter, Detroit Pistons swingman Malik Beasley, and last year’s winner, Minnesota Timberwolves center/power forward Naz Reid, are the other top betting favorites.

But Pritchard looks like the top contender right now.

Through 55 games, the 27-year-old Oregon product is averaging a career-best 14.1 points on .471/.415/.836 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 steals a night.