How Derrick White transformed the Celtics into a ‘different beast’ in their victory against the Mavericks

During the first half of Saturday’s Celtics-Mavericks game, it seemed that Derrick White would carry on with his extended scoring slump. He had accumulated five points by halftime, with a 1-for-5 performance from beyond the arc.

After that, the third quarter occurred.

The experienced guard netted 16 points in the quarter, comprising the first 11 of the second half for the Celtics. He scored more points than he had in seven of his previous nine complete games.

White scored 23 points, shooting 7-of-16 (including 4-of-10 from three), as Boston secured a 122-107 victory and concluded a 3-1 road trip.

Despite White’s solid scoring performances in recent games against the Los Angeles Clippers (20 points) and Atlanta Hawks (21 points), he averaged only 10.0 points over his previous 10 games, with a shooting percentage of 32.6% from the floor and 23.9% from three heading into Saturday. Since January 5, he has recorded five of his seven lowest point totals for the season.

Against the Mavs, he nearly single-handedly safeguarded the Celtics’ lead after halftime, scoring 11 points to Dallas’s 10 in the first 4:18 of the third quarter while his teammates struggled with an 0-for-5 shooting drought.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after the game, “The best way to get (White) looks is just to empower him and ensure he’s aggressive.” “It was wonderful to see him do that, and it’s fantastic to see his teammates support him as well, since they know we need him. It’s simply a matter of ensuring that he continues to find ways to be aggressive.

Last season, White achieved a career-high 3-point shooting percentage of 39.6%, which he improved to 45.5% during the playoffs. Despite White’s recent decline, the Celtics maintained their faith in his offensive abilities, according to center Kristaps Porzingis.

„Ich meine, D-White ist so gut“, sagte Porzingis gegenüber den Reportern. „Manchmal hat er einfach, vielleicht hat er ein wenig den Rhythmus verloren, was passieren kann. However, I believe that on Saturday, when he made a couple of three-pointers, it was evident that he was in a rhythm and we all recognized him as D-White. And it’s always nice to witness that. When D-White gets going and starts sinking floaters, threes, and those deep corner threes, we become a different beast. He has landed many daggers for us, elevating us to another level.

White informed the reporters, “It’s big.” “It could be a different person every night, and I believe we all made significant contributions. No matter what the moment was, everyone rose to the occasion and executed the necessary play. We have a wealth of talent, and it’s wonderful when we all come together like that.”