4 takeaways as Kristaps Porzingis injury casts shadow on Celtics' Game 4 victory

"A good start is important," Brown said. "It allows them to build confidence if not, so we want to make sure we get off to a good start tonight."

The Celtics got the memo.

Boston didn't make things any more difficult than they had to be, building a 15-point lead in the first quarter, which never dropped below double-digits, and cruising to a 102-88 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 4, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Boston.

Derrick White, who scored 16 points in the opening frame - tying his playoff career high for points in any quarter - led the way with a career-high 38 points in the win. Jayson Tatum finished with 20 points, five assists, and 11 boards on a relatively down night for the five-time All-Star.

Bam Adebayo poured in 25 points and snagged 17 rebounds for the hosts in the setback, while Tyler Herro contributed another 19 points.

Here are four takeaways as the Celtics push Miami to the brink with a dominant Game 4 victory.

Kristaps Porzingis suffers injury

What started as a routine dribble-handoff quickly became Boston's worst nightmare on Monday night. Kristaps Porzingis, pushing off his right leg, suddenly halted and gestured to the bench for assistance. Despite walking off under his own power, his frustration was palpable, evident as he pulled his jersey over his head in dismay.

Shortly afterward, the Celtics announced Porzingis was doubtful to return to Game 4 due to tightness in his right calf.

Notably, a couple of possessions earlier, Porzingis had limped after inadvertently stepping on Miami's Tyler Herro's foot while attempting to grab a rebound, though he toughed it out and stayed in the game.

While head coach Joe Mazzulla had no updates postgame, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski provided some positive news, reporting early indications suggested Porzingis hadn't sustained an Achilles injury.

"Worried, just concerned," Al Horford said on the injury. "Any time that any of your guys go back there, especially him, the way that he was walking is definitely concerning for me."

"I wish the best for him," Derrick White added. "You hate to see that happen. You work so hard. He's one of the best players in this game. I told him we got his back. He's going to do what he needs to do - get his treatment, do what he needs to do to try to get back with us.

Porzingis, who missed seven games earlier this season with a left calf injury, was spotted leaving the arena in a walking boot.

Injuries were an inherent risk for Porzingis, who missed 25 games during the regular season due to rest or nursing various injuries. Now, the Celtics will have to navigate without their safety valve for the time being.

'We're going to have to play different. But, next man up mentality. For however long - if we are without him," Jayston Tatum said. "Just next man up. Find a way to win a game."

As the Celtics await news on their big man, Porzingis appears to be in good spirits.

Derrick White's career night

Unfortunately, the shine of Derrick White's career-best performance was dimmed by the shadow cast by the Porzingis injury.

The 6-foot-4 guard was undoubtedly the best player on the floor in Game 4, posting a career-high 38 points on 15-of-26 (57.7%) shooting from the field and 8-of-15 (53.3%) from deep, with four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. White's eight three-pointers nearly equaled Miami's team total of nine, while his three blocks matched the Heat's collective effort.

White became just the third player in NBA playoff history with at least 35 points, eight three-pointers, and three blocks in a game, joining Damian Lillard (2021) and Vince Carter (2001).

"Every game I kind of have the same mindset of just try to be aggressive, just read what the game is telling you, not forcing anything, and just do what I need to do," White said after the game. "I got a couple of good looks early, and then the team did a great job of finding me and empowering me to stay aggressive."

"So, a lot of credit goes to those guys: JB, JT, and KP. When he was in for us, Al, I couldn't do it without any of them. And so a lot of credit goes to them and allowing me to get going and get the space that I needed."

Outside of White, the Celtics shot 21-of-60 (35.0%). The Colorado native scored or assisted on 18 of Boston's 36 makes (50%).

In the first four games of this series, White has averaged 21.8 points and shot a remarkable 56.9 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from deep, emerging as arguably Boston's best player this series.

"It's great," Tatum said on White flourishing postgame. "It's just great to be on a team like this that's just as deep and talented on both ends of the floor that any on any given night can just have a guy like that erupt when it's the playoffs."

Defense stands tall again

It's widely known that the Heat have faced challenges in generating offense this season. With an average of 110.1 points per game, they ranked among the lowest-scoring teams in the league, placing just ahead of the Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Hornets, and Pistons. The absences of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier have only accentuated these struggles.

For the second consecutive game, the Celtics held Miami under 90 points in Game 4. Boston particularly stifled Miami in the second quarter, allowing only 12 points. This marked the third instance in the series where Boston restricted Miami to 14 points or less in a single quarter.

Miami is averaging just 94.3 points per game this series on 44.5% shooting from the field and 37.6% from deep. Excluding Game 2, Boston has limited Miami to 88.7 points per game and 30.6% shooting from three.

"You can always get better," Joe Mazzulla said when discussing seeing an improvement even after a strong defensive effort in Game 3.

"Our physicality and purpose was great. And we just got to execute a little bit better. But I thought, in the first half, our physicality [and] our activity, defensively, made up for some of the mistakes that we made. And I think that's important. You're gonna have a game plan, there's details, but your effort has to be able to take advantage of that. And we've done that. And so, the challenge is, can you maintain the level of effort and purpose along with the execution?"

While Boston experienced defensive lapses, they remained formidable for the majority of the 48 minutes. The Celtics ran Miami off the perimeter and forced Bam Adeabyo to beat them with midrange shots, a recipe that isn't going to work against these Celtics.

Yet another controversial foul

In Game 1, with just one minute remaining and Boston holding a 16-point lead, Jayson Tatum went up for a rebound on a missed shot by Bam Adebayo. As Tatum went up, Caleb Martin charged in from the perimeter and recklessly undercut Tatum, causing the five-time All-Star to land hard on his back.

In Game 4, Tatum was once again susceptible to another controversial foul.

Following a pause in play as Patty Mills was whistled for pushing Derrick White during a screen attempt, Jayson Tatum attempted a shot after the whistle. Miami's Bam Adebayo contested the shot, positioning himself in Tatum's landing space, leading Tatum to awkwardly land on his foot. Tatum remained on the ground, clutching his ankle for several seconds afterward.

Upon reviewing the play, officials assessed Adebayo with a Flagrant-one foul. Additionally, Al Horford received a technical foul for making contact with Adebayo after the flagrant foul was committed.

Tatum hit both free throws after and remained in the game, halting Miami's momentum after the Heat had reduced Boston's 20-point lead to 13 with a 7-0 scoring run.

"I mean, y'all saw it. I shot the ball afterwards, landed on his foot. The same ankle that I hurt in Game 7 last year, that I hurt against the Warriors, that I tweaked against the Clippers," Tatum said on the sequence after the game.

"It didn't feel good at first, but yeah, it was just that. And I don't want to make it a bigger deal than what it is. Little play, I wasn't tripping, moved on, kept playing, worried about the rest of the game."

With Porzingis sidelined, expect the Celtics to emerge hyper-focused and prepared for Game 5. They'll aim to avoid an additional trip to Miami and conclude this physical series as healthy as possible.