In the Boston Celtics’ victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, “aggressive” Derrick White maintained his strong postseason play, earning praise from Jaylen Brown.
At TD Garden, the Celtics won Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series 120-95 thanks to a combined 57 points from the two players.
After Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jamal Murray, and Damian Lillard, White became the fifth player in NBA history to make 20 or more three-pointers in three consecutive postseason games. He finished the third quarter with four of his seven three-pointers.
And as the Celtics advanced to 5-1 in the playoffs, Brown—who shot 12 for 18 with six rebounds, two assists, and only one turnover—paid respect to his teammate.
“Derrick has expanded,” stated Brown. “This is a new and unexplored version of him.
“He’s worked hard, made physical progress, and gained additional postseason experience. He’s acting aggressively, and we want him to keep acting that way in the future.”
“I’d say so,” White responded when asked if he felt like he was in a groove. It is pleasant to feel. All I want is for us to succeed.”
Donovan Mitchell’s 33 points and six assists, however, proved insignificant for the Cavaliers, who lost on the road for the fourth straight postseason game.
J.B. Bickerstaff praised his players’ efforts after his team defeated the Orlando Magic in a thrilling seven-game series on Sunday in the first round of the playoffs.
“There’s a lot of areas we can improve on,” he stated. “I felt that the boys made the appropriate effort and with the proper intent. I believe it’s nice to be able to play a squad like Boston.
“When you play against them, especially after a series that was more of a half-court brawl, where they play with more tempo and more space, you’re not used to the speed, the spacing, the shooting, and all those things.” We’ll grow and