Celtics' Derrick White: Nears 20-point outing in Game 7
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White had 18 points (5-12 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 6-7 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 36 minutes during Monday's 103-84 loss to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
White finished second on the team in scoring while ending up two points shy of the 20-point mark in Monday's Game 7 loss to Miami. White finished with his second-highest point total of the Eastern Conference Finals, with his 24-point outing in Game 5 being his series-high scoring performance.
White accumulated 11 points (4-10 FG, 3-7 3Pt), four rebounds, six assists, three blocks and one steal across 42 minutes during Saturday's 104-103 win over Miami in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
White hit a couple of clutch threes and played his usual stellar defense, but the most important play of the game, and arguably of his career, was a game-winning putback layup as time expired. It's fitting the point guard played hero in Game 6, as his steady contributions tend to get overshadowed by the Celtics' star power. White has started four straight games after operating off the bench during the first two matchups versus Miami and is averaging 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals in 29.3 minutes per game during the Eastern Conference Finals.
White chipped in nine points (3-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 26 minutes during Sunday's 128-102 loss to the Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
In an effort to provide more offensive punch, White supplanted Robert Williams in the starting lineup, and the move looked like a mistake from the very beginning. The small-ball approach was no match for Bam Adebayo and the Miami frontcourt, and the Celtics kept White on the floor despite a sputtering offense. Notably, Malcolm Brogdon went scoreless in the game and saw only 18 minutes of playing time. Brogdon has logged better totals than White throughout the playoffs, and the latter's regression has left a lot of points on the table for Boston. The Celtics are now in a 3-0 hole in the series and will need to do some serious re-tooling. White may find himself back on the bench in Game 4.
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Celtics' Derrick White: Starting Game 3
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White will start Sunday's Game 3 in Miami, Brain Robb of MassLive reports.
Coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed during his pregame press conference that Robert Williams is moving back to the bench to start Game 3 in favor of White, just as the Celtics did in the second half of Game 2. The move serves as an attempt at increasing the tempo of the game in order to generate more three-point attempts and get easier looks in transition, two areas of focus for Boston, which finds itself in a two-game hole in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Celtics' Derrick White: Officially coming off bench
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White isn't starting Thursday's Game 6 against Philadelphia.
Coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed during his pregame press conference that Robert Williams was moving to the starting lineup, and White will officially move to the bench as part of the change to give Boston a defensive boost. Over the first five matchups in the series, White averaged 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game.
Celtics' Derrick White: Likely moving to bench Thursday
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White is expected to not be in the starting five for Thursday's Game 6 versus the 76ers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Robert Williams is expected to replace White in the starting lineup Thursday. White is set to come off the bench for the first time since March 3. He is averaging 9.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.4 minutes across his previous 12 bench appearances this season.
