Derrick White delivered a career night in Game 5 and credited Boston’s collective mindset for staying alive in the series without Jayson Tatum.
After scoring 34 points in the 127-102 win over New York, White pointed to Luke Kornet’s breakout defensive performance as a turning point.
“Yeah, he was unbelievable,” White said postgame. “He came in and just seemed to be always in the right position… seven blocks is crazy.”
Kornet started the second half for Kristaps Porzingis and energized the Celtics with physicality, rebounding, and rim protection.
White said the emotional lift was real when Kornet barked at the crowd following a block in the third quarter. “Yeah, I was barking with him,” White added. “It’s just fun to see him do that.”
With Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles injury, the Celtics leaned on Jaylen Brown to set the tone.
White praised Brown’s full-court impact, especially a hustle play that saved possession in front of the bench. “JB was unbelievable—both sides of the ball… he took it on himself to get us going,” White said.
White’s four first-quarter threes helped Boston erase an early deficit, and he credited teammates for putting him in rhythm.
“I got really good looks… shoutout to my teammates for finding me,” he said.
While the team acknowledged Tatum’s absence, White said the group focused solely on extending the series.
“We ain’t want to see an end tonight… just going out there, competing,” he explained. “We just got to win Game 5, and now we’re going to move on to try to find a way to win Game 6.”
White said Tatum texted the team before the game, offering encouragement and support from afar. “That was cool to hear… we believe in the guys we got,” White said.
Asked about the outside noise and speculation following Tatum’s injury, White dismissed it entirely. “I didn’t hear nothing… I try to just block it all out,” he said.
White emphasized that the Celtics had to make adjustments without Tatum but trusted their depth and competitive edge. “Everybody’s got to step up… we did that tonight,” White said.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at Madison Square Garden as Boston attempts to push the series to a deciding Game 7.
