Derrick White’s Late-Game Tactic Was ‘Genius Play’ In Celtics Win

BOSTON — It was an obscure play from Derrick White with less than a minute left, but it helped preserve a 129-124 win for the Celtics over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

After a turnover by Kristaps Porzingis with the Celtics holding a slim three-point lead, Pacers guard Buddy Hield raced up the court with the ball looking to level the score. But before he even had a chance to do that, White stepped in and fouled Hield to stop the transition opportunity with 49 seconds left.

It was a smart move from White since the Celtics still had a foul-to-give and him committing a foul in that moment gained him the ultimate praise from his head coach.

“He’s a genius player,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We’ve missed our foul-to-give call on like the last three times we tried to use it, and credit to him for recognizing that and taking advantage of it. It’s a genius play.”

The foul by White allowed the Celtics to set up their defense and they suffocated the Pacers attack on the ensuing possession with the game on the line.

White rose to the occasion again during the defensive stand by blocking an Aaron Nesmith corner 3-pointer with 31.1 seconds left and Jayson Tatum followed by swatting a Myles Turner layup, resulting in a shot clock violation for the Pacers.

None of that happens without White, who also chipped in 24 points and five assists, playing heads-up basketball and fouling Hield.

The play won’t show up jump out in the box score, but it turned into one of the bigger moments in the game as the Celtics pushed their NBA-best record to 37-11.