Derrick White Heaps Praise On Celtics Bench After Beating Kings
The Boston Celtics kicked off 2026 with a win, beating the Sacramento Kings 120-106 on New Year’s Day.
Similar to their comeback win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, the Celtics fell behind early as their starters struggled. Their bench once again gave them a boost, however, propelling them to another road win.
Boston’s second unit scored 46 points on Thursday and had a plus-12 box score, whereas the starters had a plus-2. The Celtics got 35 points from their bench in the first half, eight more than their starters.
After the game, Derrick White praised Boston’s bench for stepping up and delivering high-quality minutes.
“All year they’ve been huge for us. They come in, kind of change the game, bring energy, 50-50 balls, make shots. They do a little bit of everything for us,” White told Celtics reporter Abby Chin. “We’re a complete team and we need everybody.”
That’s especially true this season with Jayson Tatum sidelined by an Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown has been phenomenal in his absence, but he can’t win games all by himself.
While Joe Mazzulla is still tinkering with his lineups, Boston’s second unit consisted of Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman on Thursday. Garza, Hauser and Simons all scored in double figures, with Hauser and Simons combining for nine 3-pointers.
Brown led the Celtics with 29 points and 10 rebounds, notching his second straight double-double before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard and White also scored in double figures for Boston.
The Celtics are now 15-3 this season when their bench scores at least 35 points. They’ll look to end their road trip with a win on Saturday night against the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers, who are coming off six straight wins.