Derrick White is an All-Star (and the most impactful player on the Celtics)  - CelticsBlog

MIAMI — Yet again, on a night when the top players on the Boston Celtics aren’t having a good game, it was Derrick White that showed up huge against the Miami Heat Monday night.

Kristaps Porzingis limped off the court late in the second quarter with a tight calf injury and will be further evaluated tomorrow. Jayson Tatum struggled despite finishing with a double-double 20 points and 11 boards. However, it was White who scored 38 points to help beat Miami 102-88 to take a 3-1 lead.

It’s important to note that the C’s are now 18-0 when holding an opposing team to under 100 points. The Heat had yet another struggling shooting night similar to game 3. Heat shot 27.3% from deep, with Bam Adebayo leading the way with 25 points and 17 rebounds. C’s were able to run Tyler Herro off the arc and hold him under 20 points, he struggled to get going the entire night, similar to game 3.

One of the biggest moment in the game came with over five minutes left and the Heat fought their way back to only being down 13 points. After a foul on a Heat player was called, Tatum shot the ball after the whistle when Adebayo contested it, Tatum landed on Bams’ foot and twisted his ankle. Tatum stayed in the game, but looked to be in some discomfort. Adebayo was granted a flagrant foul, Al Horford got a technical for shoving Bam after Tatum hit the floor. Since that call, the game completed shift and the Celtics began to take over.

The biggest concern for the Celtics fans is Porzingis’ injury. Al Horford stepped up tremendously as he played 34 minutes, Joe Mazzulla did not put in another big from his bench on the floor. Game 6 will be huge for the Celtics if they want to get some rest and just get the series over with. They have a chance to end the series Wednesday at home, a place where the C’s have been dominate all season.

One response to “Derrick White drops 38, Celtics take 3-1 lead over Heat”

  1. Russell Browne Avatar
    Russell Browne

    Great Job Neff!! Go Celts!!

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