The Boston Celtics are one win away from exercising some playoff demons. On Monday night, the Celtics went to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their first round series, and thanks to a monster night by Derrick White, the team was able to move one win away from the conference semifinals. By the time the final horn sounded, Boston picked up a 102-88 win.
The Celtics were led on the evening by Derrick White, who had the best game of his postseason career. With both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown struggling to get going from the field and Kristaps Porzingis leaving the game due to an injury, White stepped up in a big way, going for 38 points on 15-for-26 shooting and 8-for-15 shooting from behind the three-point line. It’s the most points he has ever scored in a single game in his career, whether that’s the regular season or playoffs.
DERRICK WHITE IS HIM pic.twitter.com/rs1Z6qYLaz
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 30, 2024
DERRICK WHITE SLAMS IN TRAFFIC 😲
BOS-MIA | Game 4 on TNT pic.twitter.com/Cj7mvL0QQS
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
38 FOR DERRICK WHITE 🔥
8 3-pointers and a new postseason career high!
Boston takes a 3-1 lead ☘️ pic.twitter.com/mb8DqgUqTB
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
Despite going 5-for-14 from the field, Tatum (who was able to survive an injury scare) was able to register a double-double, going for 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five boards. Brown was able to find ways to impact the game even though he went 7-for-18 from the field, as he had 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Jaylen Brown TAKES. OFF. 🛫
Boston leads in Game 4 on TNT pic.twitter.com/IsffM12z3T
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
JT REACHED BACK FOR THIS ONE 😠
BOS-MIA on TNT pic.twitter.com/PyO7MBpnxT
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
As for the Heat, the team tried to follow its tried-and-true formula to win against Boston in the postseason. While Bam Adebayo did everything he could — 25 points on 11-for-22 shooting, 17 rebounds, five assists — the team just could not get going from three, as they only managed to go 9-for-33 (27.3 percent) from deep on the night. That, mixed with the fact that Boston actually made five more threes on the evening, made it almost impossible for Miami to have a path to victory.
Now, the two teams will return to Boston, where the Heat will surely throw everything they can at a Celtics team that wants to wrap things up and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Game 5 between the Boston and Miami will take place on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.