Jayson Tatum gets 100% real on Celtics ‘luxury’ after Derrick White’s heroics vs. Sixers
Superstar Jayson Tatum knows it very well: the Boston Celtics are really lucky to have Derrick White in the fold.
The Boston Celtics were without two All-Stars on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Yet, in an impressive demonstration of talent, Jayson Tatum and co. went on to defeat the Sixers on the road 117-107.
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Tatum unsurprisingly led the way with 29 points, as he had to overcome the absences of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. Luckily for Tatum, he wasn’t alone, as guard Derrick White lit up the Sixers with 27 points of his own to help the C’s improve to 9-2 overall.
Derrick White and Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a W and 1st place in the East tonight 🤝
White: 27 PTS, 5 AST
Tatum: 29 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST pic.twitter.com/7pyqcofM03— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2023
When Jayson Tatum struggled at times in the fourth quarter, Derrick White was there to calm things down with some clutch triples. Tatum eventually settled in and cashed a dagger 3-pointer (assisted by White) with 1:11 remaining to clinch the win.
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In the final quarter of the rivalry game, Tatum and White combined for 24 of Boston’s 34 points. When asked about the performance following the short-handed victory, Tatum gave a big shout-out to White and the Celtics’ depth, per CelticsBlog reporter Jack Simone.
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“That’s the luxury that we have on our team. We have so many talented guys,” he said. “I say it all the time: I tell D-White to be aggressive. When he’s being aggressive and assertive, that’s great for our team. In those moments, he can take over for the stretch of a game and give us that lift. He’s always going to make the right play.”
Last week, the C’s were fully healthy but still fell to the Sixers 106-103. This Wednesday, Boston overcame its injuries to retake first place in the Eastern Conference while beating a strong Philly team. If there’s anything to learn from this game early in the season, it’s that Boston’s top six is as formidable as they come.
