Celtics guard Derrick White drives past the Kings’ Kevin Huerter during Boston’s 144-119 victory in Sacramento on Wednesday night. AP Photo/Randall Benton
The Boston Celtics knew with Jayson Tatum and Al Horford sidelined, they would need scoring reinforcements Wednesday night in Sacramento against an up-tempo Kings squad.
Boston responded by achieving a feat that hadn’t been done in over 35 years by a Celtics squad.
The Celtics put together their most efficient scoring performance of the year in the 144-119 blowout win over the Kings. Most of their damage came via a balanced scoring attack as five players finished with 20 or more points in the win. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown led the way with 28 points each. Kristaps Porzingis chipped in with 24 points in his return to the floor while Jrue Holiday added a season-high 21 points. Payton Pritchard also posted 20 points off the bench, providing the team with tremendous balance.
According to Celtics numbers guru Dick Lipe, it was the first time that Boston had five players score 20 or more points in a game since 1987. Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish achieved the feat that night in a win over the Nets. Wednesday’s win over the Kings marked just the fifth time it occurred in franchise history.
“I think we know what this road trip means to us,” Holiday said of the dominant outing. “Last game we felt like we should have won. This game was a good opportunity to bounce back. But we’ve got a lot of players who are really, really good and step up in that way. But I think for a team that runs a lot like Sacramento, we also know that in transition we can get out on them, too. So I think a couple times we got some transition points just taking it out and pushing it because they didn’t get back on defense. So kind of playing at their pace, but at the same time being able to control it.”
Porzingis hinted that the team tried to take some more ownership individually with Tatum sidelined, which led to the balanced scoring performance.
“I think it’s just a bit more attention on everybody else,” Porzingis added of Tatum’s absence. “He’s the focal point whenever he’s playing every night. Tonight’s a bit more on – you have to take that responsibility a little bit. I think we did a good job with that. We shared the ball well and we had five guys that scored over 20, and pretty much everybody that stepped in gave good minutes. … I thought it was a great team victory.”
The Celtics will look to build upon that offensive momentum starting again Saturday when they take on the Clippers in Los Angeles.
WHITE MAKES CASE: NBA All-Star voting is officially underway, and there are plenty of Celtics players who could get that nod. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have both been in that conversation in the past and are coming off All-NBA caliber seasons.
Of course it’s not just those two for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday made his second All-Star team just last season. Kristaps Porzingis also earned that nod back in 2018 and is playing some of the best basketball of his career.
But there is one member of the Celtics’ starting five who has yet to make the All-Star team. That’s Derrick White, who’s arguably been one of Boston’s most important players. And White has had one of the best stretches of his career recently, propelling the Celtics to a 21-6 record.
So while White himself hasn’t thought much about making the All-Star team, Coach Joe Mazzulla believes he should receive that honor.
“I mean, he’s my coach, that’s what he’s supposed to say, right?” White said. “I’m just trying to win games. That’s what I’m focusing on right now. Just do whatever I can to help us win.”
White has impressed all season, averaging a career-high 16.5 points with 5.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He’s coming off some impressive games, including a hyper-efficient 28-point outing against the Kings in their blowout win where he shot 10 of 13 from the field.
While the Celtics are plenty talented, White has been the glue guy to help keep the operation running smoothly. His two-way play has impressed all season; he was named to the All-Defensive second team last season. The Celtics are also giving him more offensive opportunities, and he’s also looked for his shot more aggressively.
“Freedom, confidence and empowerment from his teammates,” Mazzulla said of White’s improved play. “And so you take a look at a lot of the times when we want to settle the team down or we want to get to really good execution, we go to Derrick White pick-and-rolls. … So his teammates are empowered and he’s playing with a lot of confidence. It’s one of the reasons why we feel so comfortable with him at the point is because of what he can do.”
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