The Boston Celtics win streak, now nine following Friday’s 117-109 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, lives on due in large part to the contributions delivered by veteran point guard Derrick White.
On Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, White was tasked with filling the void in the wake of Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart’s absences, which he did. Against the Pelicans, while Brogdon returned to play just 18 minutes off the bench and Smart remained out, White came through for Boston once more.
The 28-year-old scored 26 points while knocking down a season-high six 3-pointers alongside three rebounds, two steals and two blocks, which registered him as a plus-20 in the contest.
“Just trying to ride the wave of the game, trying to understand what we need and I guess sometimes it happens like that,” White said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “… I think we did a good job of answering their runs and staying poised and making a run back at ’em.”
White’s performance served as a major uplift. Go-to lineup leader Jayson Tatum had a relatively off-night, tying a season-low 19 points while shooting just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Boston’s bench was also underwhelming, uncharacteristically combining to deliver just 15 points combined between Sam Hauser (6), Brogdon (5), Luke Kornet (4) and Payton Pritchard (0).
In each of his last five games — dating back to Nov. 11 versus the Denver Nuggets — White has finished in double-digit scoring while notching a positive plus-minus in the process. In four of those five, White has shot 100% from the free-throw line and in three contests he’s shot over 54% from the field.
Jaylen Brown, who scored a game-high credited White, not just for his stat line, but for his “aggressiveness” which impacted Celtics teammates on the floor throughout the night.
“I love when D White’s aggressive, it’s good for our team,” Brown said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “He’s a really good player and when he finds that aggressiveness he makes the game easier for everybody else. So, D White carried us tonight, we found a win.”
The NBA’s most winningest team through 16 games will next matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Tipoff from United Center on Monday is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
