CHA 118, BOS 89: White Solid With 43 ESPN FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician · Boston Celtics fan
Celtics Got Absolutely Cooked, But Derrick White Carried the Load
Look, I'm gonna be straight with you because that's what you expect from a Celtics guy. That was an embarrassing home loss to Charlotte. 118-89. We're talking 29-point blowout. I've seen some rough ones in green, but this one stung different. And before you ask, yeah, this is a disaster for our fantasy guys.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | 34.0 | 40.7 | 20/11/7 | 28.9/7.2/5.0 | -8.9 |
| Derrick White | 43.0 | 37.9 | 29/2/3 | 17.3/4.4/5.7 | +11.7 |
| Brandon Miller | 42.0 | 35.0 | 18/5/2 | 20.8/4.8/3.3 | -2.8 |
| Moussa Diabaté | 37.0 | 34.8 | 9/9/6 | 8.4/8.7/1.8 | +0.6 |
| LaMelo Ball | 34.0 | 32.4 | 18/7/4 | 19.2/4.8/7.3 | -1.2 |
| Coby White | 38.0 | 30.2 | 17/1/6 | 18.0/3.5/4.6 | -1.0 |
| Kon Knueppel | 29.0 | 26.8 | 20/4/0 | 19.2/5.5/3.4 | +0.8 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 24.0 | 18.9 | 6/2/1 | 8.0/5.9/0.8 | -2.0 |
| Baylor Scheierman | 20.0 | 18.3 | 9/4/5 | 4.6/3.1/1.2 | +4.4 |
| Nikola Vučević | 12.0 | 16.3 | 7/4/1 | 15.8/8.8/3.4 | -8.8 |
Derrick White Was the Only Guy Who Actually Showed Up
Real talk, Derrick White was literally the only Celtics player who came to work tonight. 29 points on 9-17 shooting with a perfect 8-8 from the line? That's 43 ESPN points and 37.9 Yahoo. He was +11.7 against his season average and carried this team like he was trying to single-handedly keep the Celtics from getting swept or something.
White's been an underrated fantasy piece all year, but this is exactly why you don't trade him away in a panic. He's on All-Defensive Second Team for a reason. When everything else falls apart, guys like him just decide to get buckets. But here's the thing, he's not a 29-point guy every night. This was a beat-them-by-30 type of performance where he got his looks. Don't expect this to be the new normal.
Jaylen Brown Got Mugged and Payton Pritchard Is a Punchline
Jaylen Brown went 7-19. Seven for nineteen. That's a 36.8% FG performance from a guy averaging 28.9 points a night. He still got 40.7 Yahoo because he at least grabbed 11 boards and dished 7 dimes, but this was ugly. He was -8.9 from his average, and honestly, that might be underselling how bad it looked on the court. Defense was soft, shots weren't falling, and Charlotte's role guys were eating him alive.
And Payton Pritchard, the Sixth Man of the Year? Yeah, he went 0-6. Zero for six. A cool -1 Yahoo point. He averaged 16.8 points a night this season and delivered absolutely nothing. If you drafted him banking on that SMOTY award, that's the kind of night that keeps you up at night.
Charlotte's Bench Cooked Us, and That's the Real Problem
Here's what kills me about this game, the Hornets' third-tier guys went off. Brandon Miller at 35 Yahoo points, Moussa Diabaté with a floor game (9/9/6 in 29 minutes), Kon Knueppel dropping 26.8 points off the bench. These aren't guys you're rostering in most 12-team leagues, but they were getting minutes and usage because Boston was getting absolutely bullied.
LaMelo Ball wasn't even that aggressive (18 on 7-17 shooting), and he still hit 32.4 Yahoo because he got to run the offense and grab boards. That's what happens when you win by 29. Role guys eat.
The Real Talk
If you had Jaylen Brown or Payton Pritchard in your lineup tonight, you got punched in the mouth. The Celtics got punched in the mouth. Happens. But Derrick White showing you he's a legitimate option in any lineup is the one takeaway here. He's been passed around in waiver wire chat for weeks, and this reminder that he can absolutely go off shouldn't get ignored.
For Charlotte guys, don't get cute. LaMelo and Coby White are your guys to own there. The role player explosion tonight is noise. That said, Diabaté putting up 34.8 Yahoo in limited minutes is worth remembering if injuries hit that frontcourt.
One loss. Back to it tomorrow.