Celtics-Blazers Notebook: Derrick White, Payton Pritchard make Celtics history, Jordan Walsh gets run, JD Davison talks G League accolades

BOSTON — Few could have anticipated that out of all the greats who have donned Celtics jerseys, the first two players to both eclipse 40 points in the same night would be Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.

Facing the Portland Trail Blazers, the two team-first guards who have never been All-Stars got it done. The duo combined for 19 three-pointers — an NBA record — and became the first two Celtics teammates to concurrently score 40+ points.

Pritchard finished with 43 points (14-20 FG, 10-16 from three), 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. White, meanwhile, tallied 41 points (14-26 FG, 9-17 from three), 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block. Both set career-highs, and both received loud ovations from the TD Garden crowd when their career-highs were shown on the Jumbotron.

The record-breaking performance had the two Celtics heaping endless praise on one another.

“It was amazing to watch, because some of the shots he was hitting were incredible too, and he wasn’t hitting no rim, just straight water,” Pritchard said, in awe of his backcourt mate.

“I’m super happy for Payton,” White said. “He probably coulda took more shots — I took six more than him — so he was unbelievable, someone that works so hard and just plays the right way every time out there.”

Payton Pritchard and Derrick White reiterate it’s all about the team

With Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis all out, White (26 shot attempts) and Pritchard (20 shots) both doubled their average field goal attempts.

But, both players’ message at the podium was clear on Thursday night: it wasn’t about them, it was about the team. And while their scoring outbursts helped secure the victory on Wednesday, it very well could have been someone else’s turn to go off.

“Tonight could have been Sam Hauser’s night and he hits 10 to 15 threes,” Pritchard said. “D-White, that’s what he does. JB, he could have 50. I don’t go into any night thinking, ‘It’s my night.’ You read the game. The ball ended up finding me. Next game , the ball might not find me at all, but how am I going to impact the game? That could be with rebounds and assist. Obviously, if I get shots, I gotta be ready to hit them. But every night is a different look, so you just got to be prepared for it.”

White also profusely credited his teammates for the performance. Jaylen Brown tallied 8 assists for the second consecutive game, while Horford consistently set hard screens that get the shooters open.

“Everybody was just doing a great job finding us and creating for us,” White said. “I felt like JB found me so many times to give me good open looks and make the right play. Him and Al setting great screens, it was a whole team effort.”

Joe Mazzulla described his guards as “tremendous” in the win, and said that it’s a gift for him as a coach that the expectation is to win even with star players out.

“To have a night like this where those two can show what they’re capable of was good for us,” he said. “We’re lucky to have them. It was a lot of fun to watch them do that.”

Jordan Walsh gets extended run with family in attendance

Jordan Walsh tallied 20 minutes and finished with 6 rebounds (3 offensive), a block, and an assist. He also made his only shot attempt of the night, a corner three-pointer.

Mazzulla said that with the Celtics down players, he wanted to give the 20-year-old sophomore an opportunity, noting that his individual defense has improved.

“He’s really gotten better at that,” Mazzulla said. “And we needed some of his offensive rebounds. He got two big ones in the first half. He ended up with one more there. So just continuing to get better with an opportunity get him out there and make sure he continues to grow, defensively and rebounding.”

Walsh’s parents made the trip from Dallas to Boston for the 7-game homestand and were thus able to watch the extended minutes in person.

Chauncy Billups praises Robert Williams’s impact on Portland’s locker room

Robert Williams III has dealt with a slew of injuries since being traded from the Celtics to the Blazers last season. He’s been out since Feb. 20 with a knee injury, and has only appeared in 20 games this season.

Still, Blazers head coach Chauncy Billups said that Williams has had an enormous impact on the locker room, and as a mentor for rookie Donovan Clingan.

“I love him,” Billups said. “I think that’s the common denominator everywhere with Rob. He’s just been awesome for our guys.

“He makes our team better when he plays. But even when he doesn’t play, just the positivity he brings to the group, his honesty with the players, in terms of telling them what to do and what not to do. He’s been incredible, incredible for Donovan, just being around him every single day. Always feel so badly for him to go through all these injuries, but he’s been amazing for me as a coach.”

Jaylen Brown hangs out with kids from the No Books, No Balls Basketball program pregame

The No Books No Ball Basketball Program, which serves 1000+ Roxbury-area kids a year between the ages of six and 16, was in the house on Wednesday night. Every Saturday, kids attend a reading program, and once they’ve completed their reading, they’re eligible to play in that day’s basketball.

A few dozen kids sat underneath the Celtics basket during warmups, and Jaylen Brown and several other Celtics players went over to spend some time with the kids after they finished their pregame shooting.

Tony Richards Sr., the founder and program director, told CelticsBlog before Wednesday’s game that the students in attendance were ones who have been doing exceptionally well academically.

“This is just a way to reward them,” he said.

Richards said that Brown has been a supporter of the program throughout his tenure in Boston, and shared that Brown’s 7uice Foundation granted No Books No Ball one of their first sponsorships a few years back.

“He’s just been a solid supporter over the years,” Richards said. “He always shows up when we need him, just to reach out to the kids. He understands his presence is important.”

Richards shared that Jayson Tatum is also involved with the program, and that his 7-year-old son Deuce is enrolled himself.

JD Davison talks G League Player of the Month, Miles Norris signing

JD Davison was named G League Player of the Month in February after averaging 28.7 points, 7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.8 steals for the month — all while shooting 53.3% from the field. The Maine Celtics went 7-1 and their head coach, Tyler Lashbrook, won Coach of the Month.

“Hats off to the guys,” Davison told CelticsBlog. “We had to win games for me to win that, and for T-Lash to win his accomplishment, too.”

While Davison is on his third two-way contract and is awaiting an opportunity in the NBA, he’s making an effort to relish the current moment rather than get caught up in what’s ahead.

“My thing is — I just love to play basketball,” he said. “So, I’m always just ready to play wherever I’m at. Wherever I’m at, gotta put my best foot forward and do my job.”

Davison said he is a big Tyler Lashbrook fan and that he’s enjoyed getting closer with him this season.

“My relationship is great with T-Lash,” Davison said, adding that the two have had extensive conversations about how they can each be at their best and help each other out. “He knows everything to do to try to get us a championship down in the G and up here.”

New two-way signee Miles Norris was with the parent club on Wednesday for the first time, alongside the other two-ways. Davison, a three-year Maine Celtics vet, will assume a leadership role in helping integrate Norris to Maine when he does spend time in the G League.

“I think [I’ll] definitely [be] one of the guys T-Lash leans on to help [Norris] know the system better, his confidence,” Davison said. “We played against him two games in Maine, so a lot of people know his strengths. He can shoot the ball, he can guard different position, he can play different roles. I think he will help us a lot.”

Injury update: Sam Hauser, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, and other banged up players

The Celtics were without Jrue Holiday (right mallet finger), Kristaps Porzingis (illness), and Jayson Tatum (right shoulder impingement) on the first night of a back-to-back.

Additionally, Sam Hauser asked to be taken out of the game after he appeared to roll his ankle late in the fourth. There was no update on him postgame, but he did have a limp in the locker room after the win, but was walking on his own accord with no boot.

Holiday, who missed his third straight game with a right mallet finger, was doubtful for this one after going through practice on Tuesday. While it appears unlikely he’ll go on Wednesday, he remains day-to-day.

Porzingis missed his fourth game with a non-COVID illness, and though he didn’t seem to be in the building, he was also at practice on Tuesday. With Horford playing on Tuesday, it seems plausible that Porzingis will return tonight against the 76ers and split the back-to-back.

Jaylen Brown played through illness after being previously listed as questionable. Payton Pritchard (left hip flexor tightness) and Derrick White (lower back contusion) were both on the injury report on Tuesday, and both played heavy minutes, the former tallying 43 minutes and the latter 39.