Is Derrick White all right? That question would be on the minds of Boston fans who witnessed recent events unfold at the TD Garden. The 30-year-old shooting guard, and even the majority of the Celtics squad, had remained injury-free throughout the ongoing regular season. This was in sharp contrast to the injury epidemic that seems to have gripped so many of the franchises in the last few weeks. Sooner or later, the situation had to catch up with the defending champions, too. As it turns out, it might have!

Earlier today, Derrick White ended up falling after getting into unwanted contact with Ivica Zubac. NBA reporter, Bobby Krivitsky confirmed that the Celtics star stayed down for a noticeable period. The officials immediately put the contact under review to determine whether it was a foul. Meanwhile, the franchise training staff had a look at White’s condition.

The referee eventually made the foul call against the Clippers’ player. However, the visiting team’s head coach, Tyronn Lue, challenged the decision. It was successful, and the Clippers continued handling the ball.

Fortunately, White didn’t sustain anything serious. He continued playing and even created some more memorable moments during the 4th quarter. One of them included the player doing the “look in the pockets” celebration after making a shot from outside the 3-point line. White scored 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists over 31 minutes. His contribution helped the defending champions win against the LA Clippers by a score of 126-94.

The last major ailment that Derrick White sustained was back in April when he developed issues with his ankle. Later on, during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the shooting guard chipped his tooth. The same occurred after he attempted to gain possession of a loose ball. Fortunately, White was unfazed by the incident.

In fact, in the aftermath of the game, and securing the championship title, the hoopster boldly declared, “I’d lose all my teeth for a championship. I’ll get it fixed. I’m going to enjoy this one.” With a raring attitude like that, no one would have expected the player to stay down for long, during the recent game, unless he developed a serious ailment.

The fact that Derrick White wasn’t even a fourth-quarter staple for the Boston Celtics 18 months ago is astonishing. Since that period, the player has done so much that even the head coach can’t stop singing his praises.

Joe Mazzulla reveals having the “trust and reliability” of Derrick White to make the right plays

If one team sure gave a tough challenge to the Celtics, it was the Timberwolves. Despite losing Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards still looked to keep the team on its toes. Fortunately, while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continued leading the offensive charge, Derrick White contributed deeply to the win. As a result, the Celtics were able to pull off a close 107-105 win.

During the post-game presser, a reporter highlighted Derrick White’s contribution, stating that the player kept finding ways to make “the big ones.” Joe Mazzulla agreed with the assessment, stating that when it comes to White, “sometimes it’s handling, sometimes it’s screening, sometimes it’s defense, running that loose ball down, or the outlet pass down. (He) just makes big-time plays.”

“So, I think he has a tendency to do that, but I think that’s really the identity of like our team,” said the head coach. “You know, those guys is where, people can make different type of plays at different times, and you can just have that trust and reliability.”

Working together as a team has helped the Boston Celtics establish a 15-3 win record, earning them a high spot on the points chart. Therefore, even a hint of a major injury from Derrick White’s side may lead to this progress being hampered.