“I haven’t seen… a White kill jazz like that since Ryan Gosling and La La Land.”
Luke Kornet simply has a way with words.
Luke Kornet just said Derrick White killed the Jazz like Ryan Gosling in La la Land @tvabby caught up with White after dropping 24 points, 6 rebounds, a steal and 3 blocks against the Utah Jazz pic.twitter.com/FkPg4DYPXj
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 13, 2024
Derrick White was lights out on Tuesday night, stepping into Gosling’s shoes as the Boston Celtics took down the Utah Jazz 123-107.
Leading up to the contest, White was 1-of-14 from distance over the course of the last four games. But that all changed against Utah.
“I mean, I’d been struggling a little bit, and I told my dad I was just gonna let it fly, and that’s what I did today,” White said.
Despite being down three of their top six players, White helped the Celtics turn Salt Lake City into a City of Stars. His 22 points were only outdone by Jayson Tatum, who poured in 38. Jrue Holiday also showed out, dropping 16 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
White’s dad, Richard, a staple on Celtics Twitter, made sure to keep his son’s confidence high heading into Wednesday.
“I mean, he texts me all the time. He said something about [the] last game,” White said. “About the threes looking better. So [I said}, I’m just going to let them fly. So, that’s just what my mindset was. Just to let it fly. Don’t think about it. Was able to knock some down.”
Derrick White said he texted his dad before the game and said he’s “going to let it fly tonight”
He shot 7 for 11 from three against the Jazz pic.twitter.com/0jKetANVHP
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 13, 2024
And while the motivation helped, White never let his slump get in the way.
“Nah, not really,” he said when asked if he was thinking about it. “But obviously, you know that you’re not really making shots. I felt like I was playing fine regardless, but it’d be nice to make some shots and just let them fly.”
No [Emma] Stone was left unturned as Boston methodically picked apart the Jazz, highlighted by a fourth-quarter surge. White’s late-game performance saw him join a three-guard lineup alongside Payton Pritchard and Holiday. Paired with Sam Hauser and Xavier Tillman/Kornet, Boston’s lead grew from eight to 20 in the first seven minutes of the final frame.
During Boston’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Someone in the Crowd donned a shirt with White’s face on it. He met them after the game and greeted them with a smile. And as the Epilogue of Boston’s five-game road trip, White carried those good vibes over into a win at the Delta Center.
It was A Lovely Night for the Celtics and a great get-right game for White.
