Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Derrick White.
Those are the only NBA players ever to record a stat line like the one White posted in Wednesday night’s win-or-go-home matchup against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
With Jayson Tatum lost for the rest of the playoffs and beyond after rupturing his Achilles tendon two nights earlier, White carried the scoring load for the Celtics, racking up 34 points on 9-of-16 shooting to help power Boston to a 129-102 victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
White went 7-for-13 from 3-point range and, in an unusually aggressive showing by his standards, 9-for-11 from the foul line in the win. He also blocked three shots on the defensive end.
The veteran guard became the first player ever to notch at least 34 points, three blocks, seven made threes and 11 free-throw attempts in an NBA playoff game. Only Doncic (in Dec. 2023) and Wembanyama (in Dec. 2024) have reached those marks in any contest, with the latter requiring overtime.
“It felt good,” said White, who made his first four 3-point shots for the second consecutive game. “I got really good looks, especially to start the game. It’s always nice to get those good looks and just shoot it with confidence, so shoutout to my teammates for finding me, and I’ve just got to rise up there and knock them down.”
It was one of the best all-around postseason performances of White’s eight-year career. His point total was his third-highest in a playoff game. His blocks and 3-pointers were tied for second. His 11 free-throw attempts and nine makes were personal postseason bests, both nearly doubling his season highs of six and five, respectively.
White has only attempted double-digit free throws seven times in his career and just three times since he joined the Celtics midway through the 2022 season.
“It’s not like someone can step and do what JT does at the level he does it,” Boston’s single-season record holder for made threes said. “So we kind of have to play a little differently and just find ways to create offense, to rebound, just everything he does on the court. Everybody’s got to step up. We did that tonight, and we’ve got to try to find a way to win Game 6.”
The Celtics needed White’s scoring, plus similarly impressive performances from Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet, to overcome the loss of Tatum, who underwent season-ending surgery on Tuesday and is not expected to return until sometime in 2026.
“Obviously, it’s tough to see,” said White, a close friend of Tatum’s. “I texted him. And that was kind of all I could do, really, was to text him. Just tell him that we believe in him and he’s going to have a great comeback from this setback. There’s really not much I can do, especially at this moment, but I’m going to support him throughout his whole journey, and I know he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get back out there with us.”
Tatum also sent a pregame message to his teammates, which Kornet described as him “encouraging us to go out and keep doing the job, keep trying to accomplish the goal.” The Celtics will look to continue that journey Friday night when they return to Madison Square Garden for Game 6. Another win would set up a Game 7 at TD Garden on Monday.
“Our back’s against the wall,” White said. “It’s win or go home at this moment, and none of us want to go home. We understand that it’s only going to be tougher. We haven’t won anything yet. We’ve got to find a way to go to New York and win again.”
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