Derrick White is only 29, so he’s not quite long in the tooth yet.
But the 6-foot-4-inch veteran’s teeth took center stage late in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals when the Celtics guard had two teeth knocked loose, and one chipped, while diving for a loose ball.
With 2:30 left in the second quarter, White was diving for a loose ball when the Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II rolled onto his head, flattening White’s face against the TD Garden parquet. While the ball scooted to Al Horford, who found Jaylen Brown for a fastbreak layup, White was left bleeding from the mouth.