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Derrick White continues to put up big numbers for the Boston Celtics. After a 30-point effort in a 132-126 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, December 19, White bounced back with 28 more in a convincing 144-119 win over the Sacramento Kings.
White made 10 of 13 shots Wednesday in the absence of Jayson Tatum, who was out with a sprained ankle. White also dished out 7 assists and had 3 blocks, earning high praise from head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Joe Mazzulla on Derrick White: ‘He’s an All-Star’
It’s not far-fetched to say White has been Boston’s best player this season. He hasn’t scored the most points and isn’t the flashiest guy on the floor, but he’s proven to be the glue to a team that has the best record in the NBA.
With Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the mix, White doesn’t have to be Boston’s go-to player. With Tatum out with the ankle injury Wednesday, White showed he’s more than capable of filling up a stat sheet.
White scored 28 points in 29 minutes. He made six of his nine 3-point attempts.
After the game, Mazzulla corrected a reporter, who said White has been playing like an All-Star.
“He’s an All-Star,” the Celtics coach said in four simple words.
“Freedom, confidence, and empowerment from his teammates. You take a look at … the times when we want to settle the team down and want to get to really good execution, we go to Derrick White pick and rolls. Sometimes it’s with Jayson, sometimes it’s with Jaylen, and sometimes it’s with [Kristaps Porzingis] only. Tonight, it was KP only to attack the matchup, and he did a great job making the plays.
“His teammates are empowering him, he’s playing with a lot of confidence, and it’s one of the reasons why we feel so comfortable with him at the point.”
White Says All-Star Consideration Isn’t on His Mind
In true Derrick White fashion, he downplayed any All-Star talk.
That’s not White. He doesn’t play for the stats. He never looks to steal the spotlight. White plays hard and does all the little things that help the Celtics. On Wednesday, he just happened to be the co-leader, along with Brown, in points scored with 28.
After the game, he said winning is what truly matters to him.
“I’m just trying to win games,” he said after NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin asked him if he was working on that All-Star nod. “That’s all I’m focusing on right now, and try to keep winning and see what happens.”
The Celtics played Wednesday’s game without two of their top six players. Tatum and Al Horford were both out, and Boston responded with one of the best team efforts in recent memory.
Four of the five starters finished with at least 21 points, and Payton Pritchard contributed 20 off the bench.
No Tatum? No problem. The Celtics found a way.
“Second half back-to-back, two guys out,” White said. “People probably were making excuses why we don’t need to win, but we had the right mindset coming into the game and came out the right way and got a good road win.”
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