Celtics-Mavericks Notebook: Derrick White leads the way after Joe Mazzulla said ‘I love you’, Kristaps Porzingis is 92.7% back

DALLAS, TEXAS — The Celtics bounced back in a big way on Saturday, racking up a 122-107 win over the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Finals rematch. The win helped them finish their Western Conference road trip with a 3-1 record, and propelled them to 32-14 on the season, good for third-best in the league.

After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla expressed genuine surprise that the Celtics had only dropped back-to-back games twice all season.

“For us on the inside, we’re just together,” Mazzulla said. “We have an understanding of what the standard is, and we don’t really get too worked up when we lose. We have an understanding of why we did it. We’re pissed off. And then we win, you still say, ‘hey, there’s 10-15 possessions that we have to get better. So, I think the connectivity of the group — and the balance of the group — is really important.”

The Cs looked to be at risk of dropping consecutive games after falling behind 19-10 early on to an energetic Mavericks team with an enthused home crowd behind them. But, they closed the quarter with a 4-point lead and never looked back.

Then, in the third quarter, Derrick White took over, and the Celtics cruised to a 15-point win.

Here are four observations from a Saturday night victory, from on-the-ground in Dallas.

Derrick White breaks through after Joe Mazzulla told him he loves him

No basketball player is ever single-handedly responsible for a victory.

But, after the Celtics saw a 10-point halftime lead dwindle to four points after Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie each hit three-pointers in the opening minute of the second half, White caught fire and helped the Celtics regain complete control.

After struggling offensively over the past six weeks, he exploded for 16 points to open the second half, shooting 6-9 from the field and 3-5 from three, while also grabbing two offensive rebounds. He ultimately finished the night with 23 points — his highest scoring output since Jan. 3 — and dished out 4 assists.

“The whole team was behind me, supporting me,” White said. “[Assistant coach] Phil [Pressey] said it just takes one to get hot — it just kind of happens.”

It initially appeared that White was destined for another frustrating offensive performance. He began the game 0-4 from the field — and was visibly bothered — when Mazzulla delivered a simple message to him:

“I love you.”

That’s what White relayed to reporters when asked what the third-year head coach told him amidst his early-game struggles.

Those three words were enough.

There’s unequivocal consensus in the Celtics locker room that a more aggressive Derrick White is good news for Boston.

“It’s big for our team,” said Jaylen Brown, who finished the game with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. “I’m always pushing D-White to be aggressive, because him being aggressive, on both offense and defense, is a great sign for our team. It just makes him a threat. It makes everything kind of flow easier for us.”

Entering Saturday, White had scored 8 points or less in 5 of his last 8 games, a significant decline from his 18-point scoring average in November.

“He hasn’t gotten the same amount of looks, or he hasn’t been as confident recently,” Brown said. “Today was a good sign, and we gotta keep building on that going forward.”

White attributed his recent scoring dip to “a lot of factors,” including Kristaps Porzingis returning from injury. Through 20 games, Porzingis has attempted 13.5 shots per game — the third-most on the Celtics.

“Obviously, KP comes back, it kind of changes some things, but also, I’ve shot it like crap,” White said. “So those two points come together, and you don’t score very many points. So, just got to continue to do what I need to do to get prepared, and just know that it’s going to turn and try to make shots around when I’m wide open. That’s just what I did today.”

Porzingis has routinely showered White with praise since he first arrived in Boston last fall, and noted postgame how different the Celtics are when White finds his groove on offense.

“D-White is so good, maybe he lost a little bit of rhythm, which can happen,” Porzingis said. “Today we saw a couple of threes that he hit, and it’s always good to see that. We’re a different beast when D-White gets going, and starts hitting floaters, threes, deep corner threes. He’s hit so many daggers for us — that bring us to another level.”

For Mazzulla, it was rewarding getting to see his starting point guard finally find a rhythm.

“I love watching him do that,” said Mazzulla. “It’s great watching his teammates empower him, too — because they know that we need him.”

And, it wasn’t just White who found a much-needed rhythm. Jrue Holiday scored 17 points — his highest-scoring game in nearly three weeks — and hit 5 of 10 three-pointers, his most of the season. Against the Mavericks, the Celtics’ starting backcourt combined for 40 points; two nights earlier against the Lakers, their combined scoring output was just 6 points.

Kristaps Porzingis thrives in return to Dallas — at a self-proclaimed 92.7%

For the first time since he was traded from the Mavericks to the Wizards in 2022, Kristaps Porzingis suited up to play in American Airlines Center. He had missed the previous two regular season match-ups in Dallas, one as a member of the Celtics and one on the Wizards — and was injured for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals.

But the wait was worth it, and Porzingis excelled in his much-anticipated first game back, recording 18 points on 6-12 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

“Always a nice atmosphere here — have some good memories from here, and not good — great — relationships with many people,” Porzingis said after the game. “I miss a lot of these nice people. It’s always good to come back.”

Throughout the night, Porzingis caught up with team personnel and arena staff, dishing out hugs and fist bumps.

After the win, Porzingis was asked about how he’s coming along, both physically and as far as his rhythm goes. On Jan. 7, after a win over the Nuggets, he put himself at around 80%.

On Saturday, he confirmed he’s continuing to get closer to 100%. But, he noted that physically, he’s not completely there — and put himself at 92.7% back.

“Rhythm, pretty close. Physically, not perfect yet,” Porzingis said.

“As the season will go, I believe I will get even better. But, definitely having a nice stretch now of good basketball.”

In January, Porzingis is averaging 19.5 points per game on 49.1% shooting. He’s also shooting a team-high 47.3% from three.

The Celtics continue to showcase they’re the kings of bouncing back

After nearly every loss this season, the Celtics’ outward confidence hasn’t wavered.

On Thursday, after a bad loss to the Lakers, Porzingis simply said he wasn’t worried, and that he knew the Celtics would respond. Brown has repeatedly said he was enjoying the process of having to fight through adversity and stick together as a team.

Mazzulla has simply noted that the Celtics know where they have to improve — win or lose.

White acknowledged after the game that teams are guarding the Celtics differently this season — and that teams spent the offseason preparing to beat Boston.

“Everybody’s watching all your playoff games and trying to figure out different ways to slow us down,” White said. “I just think it’s all part of the process.”

After the win, Brown was asked what’s given him confidence in the team despite some difficult losses.

“Just life,” he said. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘winter always turns to spring, no matter what.’ So, when things are not going your way, just stay the course. The tide will turn.”

“We’ve had enough experience to know what that looks like, so can’t complain when it’s not going your way,” he continued. “You just got to have more detail, be more focused, embrace it, and then get ready for it to switch the flip.”

Porzingis echoed Brown’s confidence after the win, while also noting that the Celtics’ consistency hasn’t quite been there.

“We’re definitely working towards getting our killer instinct back,” Porzingis said. “We want to have that — some moments we’ve looked really good, some moments not so good, some moments we’ve cruised a little bit, it’s kind of been a mix of everything. I think it’s important for us to keep adding to what we have in these kinds of games, to keep adding, to keep making steps forward, to keep pushing each other, keep holding each other accountable. We have great support around us — the coaching staff and everybody. Just have to keep making steps forward as a team. I think it’s happening. I think it’s happening. Just patience, and not overreacting to every little bump on the road.”

It’s noteworthy that despite the Celtics’ inconsistent play in recent weeks, they’re 32-14 on the season — only three games behind where they were last year at this time.

Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman both have family in attendance

Walsh, a Dallas native, had plenty of family at the American Airlines Center — including his parents, godparents, and girlfriend. He only got a minute and a half of action, but it was his first time checking into a game in Dallas. (He was with the team last year, but didn’t see the floor). After the game, Derrick White urged Walsh to eat his postgame meal quickly because he knew he had lots of people waiting for him.

Baylor Scheierman, who is from Nebraska, also had both of his parents in town for the game. It was his dad’s first time at a Celtics game since he was drafted in June, and his mom’s first time at a Celtics game since Opening Night.