Derrick White scored a career-high 38 points to lead the Celtics to a 102-88 win in Game 4 of Round 1 in Miami, as Boston takes a 3-1 lead.
The Boston Celtics are one win away from the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals.
They followed Saturday's rout of the Miami Heat with another dominant victory in Monday's Game 4 at Kaseya Center to take a 3-1 series lead. Miami again struggled mightily on the offensive end, shooting just 40.7 percent from the floor and 9-of-33 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range. Boston led by as many as 28 points in its 102-88 triumph.
Derrick White was the star with a career-high 38 points for the C's. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown added 20 and 17 points, respectively. Bam Adebayo (25 points) was the leading scorer for Miami.
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It was a bittersweet night for Boston as Kristaps Porzingis exited with a non-contact calf injury in the second quarter and did not return. The Celtics big man reportedly will undergo more testing on Tuesday to determine the injury's severity.
The Celtics will have a chance to clinch the series on their home floor on Wednesday. Tip-off for Game 5 is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrine on the call for NBC Sports Boston. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live.
Here are three takeaways from Boston's Game 4 win.
Derrick White leads the way
Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals in Miami went down as "The Derrick White Game" after he forced a Game 7 with a clutch tip-in at the buzzer. The Celtics guard had another signature performance in South Beach on Monday to put the Heat on the brink of elimination.
White set the tone for the Game 4 blowout with 13 points in the first seven minutes. He tied his career playoff high for points in a single quarter with 16 and ended the first half with 22 on 6-of-9 shooting from deep.
Antoine Walker and Ray Allen (seven apiece) are the only Celtics to make more 3-pointers in the first half of a playoff game.
White continued to anchor the Celtics offense in the second half. He finished with a career-high 38 points on 15-of-26 shooting (8-15 3-PT) -- one fewer made 3 than the entire Heat roster. He also was his usual All-Defensive self with three blocks, equaling Miami's total.
With Tatum (20 points, 5-14 FG) and Jaylen Brown (17 points, 7-18 FG) not at their best, and Kristaps Porzingis hurt, White picked up the slack.
There's just something about playing in Miami that brings out the best in White. After failing to finish the job in last year's series, the Celtics will get their shot at revenge when the series returns to TD Garden on Wednesday.
Kristaps Porzingis exits with non-contact injury
An injury to Kristaps Porzingis put a damper on the Celtics' Game 4 win.
Porzingis left the game in the second quarter with what the team called "right calf tightness" and did not return. He immediately motioned to the Celtics bench to be subbed out and limped to the locker room. You can watch the play that led to the injury below:
One silver lining is that according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Porzingis' injury isn't believed to be to his Achilles. The C's big man will undergo more testing on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. He was seen leaving the Celtics locker room in a walking boot after the game.
Losing Porzingis for an extended period would be a massive blow for Boston. The 7-foot-3 Latvian is widely considered the most important piece for the C's on their quest for Banner 18.
If Porzingis misses time, veteran Al Horford and Luke Kornet will be asked to step up and lead the Celtics frontcourt. Horford finished Monday's game with seven points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes.
Another controversial Heat foul
Heat forward Caleb Martin became a Boston villain in this series after his controversial collision with Jayson Tatum in Game 1. He likely won't be the only Miami player to receive loud boos when these two teams face off at TD Garden on Wednesday.
In the fourth quarter of Game 4, Heat big man Bam Adebayo made contact with Tatum on a shot after the whistle. Tatum landed awkwardly on Adebayo's foot and fell to the floor holding his left ankle. You can watch the play below:
After reviewing the play, officials issued Adebayo a Flagrant 1. Celtics fans could breathe a sigh of relief as Tatum stayed in the game, and although he claimed he was fine in his postgame interview with our Abby Chin, the status of his ankle will be worth monitoring over the next couple of days.
Boston will look to close this physical series out on Wednesday and advance to the Eastern Conference semis unscathed.
