We need him: Celtics overlook Derrick White shooting slump and focus on winning plays

PHILADELPHIA — At his core, Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is a winning player. It might not have seemed like it for much of the Green Team's 108-100 win on Friday night, as he missed open shot after open shot against the rejuvenated Philadelphia 76ers . Yet, when it mattered most, he was there to swing the momentum of Game 3 in Boston's favor.

In the final 4 minutes of the fourth quarter, White grabbed 2 offensive rebounds that led to 5 total points for the Celtics. Scoring was difficult for both squads in Game 3, so it's not an exaggeration to say that those points were life-saving buckets. With the Sixers on a 5-0 run and Xfinity Mobile Arena rocking, White perfectly tracked a 3-point miss from Nikola Vucevic and tapped it out to his teammates.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown then ended up with the ball, turning the second-chance opportunity into a smooth jumper that brought Philly fans to a hush. The Celtics led 94-90 with 3:49 remaining, but the back-and-forth game was far from over. Philly responded and made it a 103-100 contest following a pair of free throws from Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr.

Vucevic again had a shot at silencing the Sixers, however, his 3-point try bounced off the rim with 36 seconds left in regulation. Once more, White was unaccounted for on the boards and he swooped in for a clutch offensive rebound. From there, Celtics star Jayson Tatum got the rock beyond the arc with the game in the balance — and he didn't miss.