After Derrick White kept draining shot after shot in the first half Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets, he would look over to the Boston Celtics bench and see his teammates celebrating in approval.
But the reaction from Marcus Smart, who missed his ninth consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain, wasn’t one of sheer excitement as White conducted his offensive tear.
Smart wanted to keep his franchise record of 11 three-pointers made in a single game, which White was threatening after knocking down his first six triples and making seven total in the first half alone.
“Just every time I shot it, it felt great,” White told reporters following Boston’s 127-116 win at TD Garden, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. “The guys were up supporting me. They were cheering me on. Smart was worried about his record. It was just all fun and games.”
White came up short of breaking Smart’s mark as the second-year guard with the Celtics finished hitting 8-of-14 shots from beyond the arc en route to a regular-season career-high 33 points.
While Smart was protective of his record, it was all in good nature as he encouraged his teammate as well.
“He told me he got 11,” White said. “He was a little bit worried about it. But supporting me all the same time. So, it’s a lot of love.”
White may not have topped Smart, but he did end up doing something Smart has never accomplished. In fact, White put together a stat line that no other NBA player had ever achieved, according to Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow.
White became the first player in the league’s history to tally eight 3-pointers, 10 assists and three blocks as it truly was a complete performance for the veteran playmaker.
It was a night where everything came together for White, as evidenced by one of his 3-pointers from the corner caroming high off the rim before falling through the net.
White could only respond to that good fortune with his version of the Michael Jordan shrug.
“I don’t think I did the Jordan shrug or not,” White said. “Probably that three I hit in the third quarter where it just bounced around, and I was like, ‘It must be one of those days.’ It’s good to see the ball go in.”
