Derrick White fills Tatum void in Celtics’ season-saving win

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics extended their playoff lives in a 127-102 victory over the New York Knicks in Wednesday night's Game 5, in large part because of Derrick White. The Celtics and the world all knew that someone would need to step up with the absence of Jayson Tatum and their season being pushed to the brink. In this case, White was the guy who elevated his game.

Through nearly 40 minutes of play, White scored a game-high 34 points for the Celtics along with three rebounds, two assists, and even two blocks. The large majority of his scoring came from the perimeter where he shot an effective 7-for-13 (53.8 percent). Overall, White shot 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from the floor.

"I got really good looks, especially to start the game," White said after the game. "It's always nice to get those good looks and just them shoot with confidence. So, shout out to my teammates for finding me."

To his point, the Celtics did a solid job distributing the ball all night, finishing the game with 27 total assists. Jaylen Brown, who had a strong scoring game in his own right with 26 points, was particularly good at dishing the ball finishing with 12 assists - a double-double that was nearly a triple-double (eight rebounds).

White was the star of the show, but overall, Game 5 was once again more of a full-team effort. Notably, Luke Kornet also stood out, particularly defensively adding seven blocks.

The Celtics will head back to New York still with their backs against the wall for Friday's Game 6. They will need another stellar performance like White had on Wednesday if they want to pull out the series, but they showed that even without Tatum, they can still play at an elite level.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.