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Watch: Derrick White's scorching start gives Celtics early lead
Derrick White. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Derrick White's scorching start gives Celtics early lead

Celtics guard Derrick White had a monster start to Game 4 of Boston's first-round series against the Heat.

The Celtics raced out to a 34-24 first-quarter lead in large part due to White's 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4 of 5 from deep.

His second three came when the Heat left him alone on the perimeter.

White nailed his third make from beyond the arc off an assist from guard Payton Pritchard.

The 2022-23 Associated Press second-team all-defensive player also made an impact on that end of the court later in the first. With the Celtics up 26-14, White blocked Heat guard Tyler Herro's 18-foot jumper from behind, directly leading to White's fourth made three of the quarter.

Through the series' first three games, White averaged 16.3 points per game while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range. 

Boston (64-18, first in Eastern Conference) entered the postseason with the league's best record and holds a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven series with Miami. 

With stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, White can sometimes get lost. 

That certainly wasn't the case early in Game 4.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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