After a challenging outing in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals, the Celtics’ starting point guard found redemption on Friday night.

While Derrick White acknowledges he’s not in the MVP conversation, the Boston faithful couldn’t help but chant his name like he was one, especially on a night when the team needed to withstand a red-hot Knicks performance.

Despite New York narrowing an 8-point first-quarter lead and briefly taking the lead in the second, Derrick White took charge. In the next twelve minutes spanning halftime, White emerged as the leading scorer with 14 points, turning a 4-point deficit into a commanding 20-point lead.

An electrifying stretch in the third quarter featured three consecutive made threes, several assists, two blocks, and a dunk that pushed the Knicks to the brink. White’s timely and clutch plays towards the end of the game, along with a successful trip to the free-throw line, allowed the TD Garden crowd to shower him with well-deserved praise.

In contrast to a challenging performance in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals, where White had five turnovers (more than his total in the previous three games combined) and made only two of nine three-point attempts against the Pacers.