BOSTON — During Thursday night’s game, Boston Celtics guard Derrick White faced an unfortunate setback when he suffered a dental injury, bringing back memories of a similar ordeal he experienced during last year’s NBA Finals.
The incident occurred in the second quarter at the 7:13 mark, when White was inadvertently struck by an elbow while attempting to block a layup from Kelly Oubre Jr. Video replays captured the moment White was hit, causing him to immediately clutch at his mouth before bending down to pick up a small white object from the court floor. Shortly after, he was led off the court with a towel held against his face and taken to the locker room.
As the game neared halftime, the Celtics announced White was likely to return for the second half, and indeed, he rejoined the lineup at the start of the third quarter. Before departing the game due to the injury, White had contributed 10 points and secured one rebound.
This incident was notably reminiscent of a previous dental mishap during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Dallas, where White suffered a chipped front tooth after being landed on.
White’s pre-injury performance on this occasion came just a day after he achieved a personal best, scoring career highs of 41 points and sinking nine three-pointers in the Celtics’ victory over Portland.
