Holiday, White lead the charge for Celtics in win over Raptors

BOSTON -- With Jaylen Brown out to rest his right knee and Jayson Tatum having an off shooting night in the face of constant double teams, the Celtics needed someone else to step up against the Raptors on Monday night. Instead, two players rose to the occasion, as Boston got another tremendous performance from its lethal backcourt duo of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

"The Stock Exchange" combined for 44 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in Boston's 105-96 victory in Toronto, with both Holiday and White pouring in 22 points on the night. They were at their best when the Celtics needed it most, accounting for 18 of the team's 21 points in the fourth quarter.

White had the biggest bucket of the night, canning a dagger three from the corner with 1:17 to go to give the Celtics a little breathing room. With Boston up by just four points, the Raptors sent a double team at Tatum to trap him well beyond the three-point line. Tatum fired a nearly impossible pass to White, who put up an even more difficult shot from an awkward angle in the corner. White let it fly right in front of the Raptors' bench, and it tickled the nylon to put the Celtics on top 103-96.

White had been marred in a shooting slump heading into Monday night's action, hitting just 34.5 percent from the floor over his previous six games. But his confidence has never waivered, and he hit five of his 11 three-point attempts in Toronto. White scored 10 of his 22 points in the final frame. 

While White did most of his damage in the fourth quarter, it was Holiday who did the heavy lifting early. He set the tone with 10 points in the first quarter, along with some excellent defense right from the jump. On Toronto's first possession, Holiday blocked a shot and snagged a steal, setting up Kristaps Porzingis' three-pointer to get the scoring started for Boston.

That set the tone for Holiday's two-way performance throughout the night. He continued to pester the Raptors throughout his 34 minutes, and he anchored the middle of Boston's 2-1-2 defense in the second half. He really did a whole lot of everything, dishing out a team-high seven assists, pulling down six rebounds, and blocking two shots in the win.

And while White led the scoring charge in the fourth, Holiday wasn't far behind. While the Raptors refused to go extinct and kept clawing back, Holiday drained back-to-back threes midway through the frame to push Boston's lead up to a dozen.

The Raptors were able to trim that down to a four-point lead with two minutes left, but that just set up White's highlight three from the corner. 

Tatum needed 19 shots to score his 19 points on Monday, but he still made a giant impact with some excellent defense, 14 rebounds, and six helpers on the night. He also got everything going in the third quarter with nine points, leading the charge during an 18-2 Boston run to regain control of the game. And while the Raptors pestered him with double teams throughout, Tatum didn't force much and got the ball to his open teammates. All Boston starters finished with double figures in scoring for the second straight game and the 17th time this season. 

On a night when Tatum didn't have his running mate and received all the defensive attention the Raptors could throw at him, Boston's dynamic backcourt stepped up once again to help lead the team to a victory. There really is no doubting -- or stopping -- Boston's ridiculous depth this season.