Derrick White and Jaylen Brown carried the Celtics’ offense in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, helping Boston win easily despite an off night from Jayson Tatum.
That was not the case in Game 2.
White and Brown both struggled mightily from beyond the arc in the Celtics’ 118-94 loss, going a combined 1-for-14 on 3-point attempts in an all-around ugly outing at TD Garden.
White, fresh off becoming just the fourth player in NBA playoff history to make 20 threes over a three-game span, was 1-for-8 from deep Thursday. His lone make came on his first shot of the game.
Overall, White finished with as many fouls as made field goals (3-for-11) and finished with 10 points in 30 minutes.
It was a sharp regression for a player who’s been one of the most efficient and productive 3-point shooters in these playoffs, entering Thursday ranked top-three in makes, attempts and shooting percentage.
Brown had some success driving to the basket (7-for-11 on 2-point shots; 5-for-5 on free throws), but the Celtics were outscored by 29 points while he was on the floor, tying Brown’s season low for plus/minus. White was a minus-27, his second-worst mark of 2023-24.
Two nights earlier, Brown and White went 11-for-18 from three, combined for 57 points and the Celtics coasted to a 120-95 win.
“I think just overall, maybe, we missed some shots and we let that translate (on defense). It’s the playoffs, that can’t happen,” Brown said. “I don’t care if you’re missing shots, you’ve got to guard the guy on the other end. That allows you to miss more shots if you’re playing defense. But you can’t miss shots and then allow them to make shots at the other end. That was unacceptable.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics were able to generate good looks — they just couldn’t hit them.
“From what I can recall, (I liked) most of them,” Mazzulla said. “I’m sure there’s a few of them where we could fight for a better shot or better spacing, but I think for the most part, that was fine.”
Tatum finished with a respectable stat line (25 points on 7-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists) but was outplayed by his superstar counterpart. Donovan Mitchell dropped 23 second-half points to turn a halftime tie into a 24-point Cleveland laugher.