It was only a matter of time before Derrick White delivered a performance worth talking about at the Thanksgiving table, and that performance came on Wednesday night.
The Eastern Conference–leading Pistons
were the only obstacle standing between Boston and a savory Thanksgiving dinner. Arriving at TD Garden on a 13-game winning streak, Detroit posed a Goliath-sized challenge unlike anything the Celtics had faced this season. And with starting center Neemias Queta sidelined by an ankle sprain, shrinking Boston’s frontcourt, someone needed to step up.
That’s where D. White stepped in.
White turned an ice-cold first half, in which he scored only two points, into the decisive performance that led Boston to a 117-114 NBA Cup victory over the Pistons — derailing Detroit’s bid for a new franchise record.
“It felt good. It felt real good,” White said in relief. “Just really just feels good to help the team win, honestly. It’s good to see some go in finally and just roll from there.”
Through the first two quarters, White’s only points came at the charity stripe. He was 0-for-3 from the field, missing all three of his 3-point attempts, and even drew criticism from Kendrick Perkins during ESPN’s halftime break, with the former Celtic pointing to White as Boston’s first-half letdown. It’s unclear whether head coach Joe Mazzulla shared Perkins’ words in the locker room (psycho Joe has done crazier things), but White seemed to respond — intentionally or not — in the second half.
White caught fire in the third quarter as the 31-year-old’s 3-point touch returned just in time. He knocked down 3 of 5 attempts, played his signature intense defense, and maintained a level of aggression that carried Boston after three free throws put the team ahead 86-83 heading into the fourth quarter.
From that point on, momentum stayed on White’s side, and it effectively sealed Detroit’s fate.
“It was fun,” White said. “Playing in the Garden is always a blessing, but especially in a game like that — competitive, physical, hustle plays, stuff like that. The Garden lives for stuff like that. A lot of us made those big-time plays, and the Garden got behind us, and it helped us get that dub.”
White finished with a season-high 27 points after shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. His 25 second-half points and six second-half 3-pointers, meanwhile, also set new career highs.
“That’s Derrick,” Mazzulla said. “Whenever he’s not playing well, I kind of get excited, because I know the other side of that is so much better. That’s just the trust I have in him as a player, and that’ll never waver.”
White’s flip-of-a-switch wasn’t just felt on the Celtics’ sideline; its energy was infectious, spreading throughout TD Garden as the crowd rallied behind him during the closing minutes of a statement performance by both White and the team. The synergy between the Celtics on the floor and the fans in the stands lifted Mazzulla’s team, fueling their all-out effort against a Pistons squad that had lost just once before Wednesday night.
In the fourth, White buried a clutch 31-foot three-pointer over Caris LeVert to put the Celtics up 111–107 with 1:05 remaining, then forced a crucial turnover from Cade Cunningham moments later.
“That’s the D. White that we know and love,” Jaylen Brown said. “When D. White is aggressive, that’s a great sign for our team. He came out and absolutely balled tonight. We’ve got to find ways to get him more active, more involved. Derrick was a star — he was a stud tonight — and I love to see it.”
Boston’s win over Detroit might be the breakout White needed to spark a turning point. Over his previous three games, he had slipped back into his early-season slump, averaging just 12.3 points while shooting 33% from the field and 28.6% from deep.
White couldn’t pinpoint exactly what triggered the turnaround, but the ninth-year veteran made it clear he intends to do everything he can to sustain it.
“I told somebody one game, ‘I might not make anything else, but I’ll make a big one.’” White said. “But I don’t know what it is. I’m just trying to embrace the moment. Hopefully, I continue to do it, and a lot of it is just being in the right position and just shooting it with confidence.”
