Celtics’ Derrick White Shoulders Blame for Loss vs. Portland
White wasn't the only Celtics player who struggled in that game
The Boston Celtics’ four-game win streak came to an abrupt end on Sunday, Dec. 28, as they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 114-108. Boston went cold from the perimeter, shooting just 29.5% from three-point range, despite taking 44 shots.
Joe Mazzulla’s team also struggled with rebounding and committed 20 turnovers, which led to an extra 21 points for Portland.
During his postgame news conference, Celtics guard Derrick White looked to shoulder the blame for Boston’s loss. White struggled from the field, going 5-of-16 with just two makes out of 10 from three-point range. He also registered three turnovers.
“It’s just my bad. Just got to be better and make sure we’re all on the same page,” White said. “We’ve got to get a shot up in those times. So, probably, with those three turnovers, it’s all my fault, and I’ve got to be better, especially in a moment like that…I just got to do a better job of getting our team in the right situation. I mean, that’s what Joe kind of expects from me out there. So I’m just on a different page. And probably those three turnovers, obviously, were on a different page. So that’s my bad.”
White wasn’t the only member of Boston’s rotation to struggle. Jaylen Brown ended the game with six turnovers. Payton Pritchard shot 30% from the field on 10 attempts. Brown, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza all registered five fouls apiece.
The Celtics lost as a team.
Nevertheless, White will undoubtedly want to bounce back from his difficult showing when the Celtics face the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Dec. 30. The veteran guard has been surging in recent weeks, and if he can get back to that level of performance, the Celtics will still have a chance of ending their West Coast road trip with a winning record.
