Jimmy Butler grabbed a free ball and had nothing however open court docket in entrance of him on a quick break. He took his time, coasting to the ring.
There was only one downside. His title was Derrick White.
While Butler thought he had a simple bucket, the Celtics guard failed to surrender. He raced down the ground, caught the unsuspecting Butler and swallowed him, unleashing a ferocious chase-down block along with his proper hand. The Celtics regained possession. White had a number of phrases for his teammates on the bench on his method again.
That play with 3:44 to go was the signature one in all a signature evening for White, who willed the Celtics to a home-opening 119-111 win over the Heat, their Eastern Conference nemesis who ended their season 5 months in the past.
White poured in 28 factors – together with 14 within the remaining interval – and added three ridiculous blocks to steer a victory that personified every little thing they had been lacking again within the spring. On a back-and-forth evening during which the Celtics weren’t firing all cylinders, they used vitality, effort, toughness and protection to tug away and maintain on over the Heat.
Takeaways:
– Kristaps Porzingis shined in his Celtics debut in New York on Wednesday however didn’t have the identical success in his house opener. Porzingis was whistled for 2 fouls within the first 5:13 of the sport as he struggled to decelerate Heat heart Bam Adebayo all through the evening, permitting him to get to the rim with ease as he completed with 27 factors. Porzingis began the sport 2-for-7 capturing together with 0-4 from 3-point vary, acquired into a quick groove within the third quarter however finally didn’t match his efficiency from the opener. On one play within the third, he was whistled for a technical foul when he threw the ball via the ring after letting Adebayo beat him once more. Porzingis fouled out with three minutes remaining.
– Oshae Brissett, the versatile ahead who signed with the Celtics this offseason, was a DNP for Wednesday’s season opener however made his official Celtics debut with 5:02 remaining within the first quarter. He made an instantaneous influence, endearing himself rapidly to the TD Garden crowd with hustle performs. He pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds on one possession, which led to a 3-pointer from Sam Hauser. That capped a 10-0 Celtics run after they’d fallen behind by 13 within the opening interval. Brissett later had a dunk that lower Boston’s deficit to a few after the primary.
– Offensive rebounding was a serious emphasis from Joe Mazzulla this preseason, and the Celtics actually had their coach’s message in thoughts Friday. Brissett’s effort was a part of a giant one on the offensive glass, the place the Celtics corralled 10 boards that led to 14 second-chance factors within the first half. They completed with 16 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance factors. When their offense wasn’t working crisply for a lot of the first half, these hustle performs stored them within the sport.
– The Celtics’ protection locked in to finish the primary half as they held the Heat to 6 factors over the ultimate 5:04. They transformed stops into factors – together with a mini 6-0 run capped by Jaylen Brown’s steal of an inbounds go for a dunk – that gave them the lead they usually took that momentum right into a five-point halftime lead.
– Brown, after a lackluster opener, had a bizarre sport on Friday that included one other poor begin. He missed his first 4 pictures however pushed via it to create two and-one possibilities that ignited that 10-0 run. He continued to make some head-scratching performs, which included 4 turnovers, however completed with 27 factors, together with some large pictures down the stretch and the dagger 3-pointer within the remaining minute.
Source: www.bostonherald.com