The Boston Celtics authored a night that will echo through franchise history, ultimately breaking open a tense battle against the Miami Heat with a stunning fourth-quarter surge. In the showdown with the Heat, the Celtics buried 10 three-pointers in the final period, thereby setting a new team record. At the center of it all, Derrick White powered the Celtics, scoring, organizing, and punishing every mistake when it mattered most.
10 threes in the 4th quarter
That's a team record 👌🏽 pic.twitter.com/6W28OI0WbS
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 20, 2025
For three quarters, it was razor-close. Throughout that stretch, the Heat matched the Celtics' pace and physicality. Each time a run formed, it was answered. As a result, leads disappeared. The building stayed tense. Then everything shifted. The fourth quarter flipped the script. Suddenly, the ball moved faster. The reads sharpened. The crowd rose. One make sparked momentum. Momentum became a storm.
A Celtics record rain fueled by scoring and playmaking
Sam Hauser sparked the fourth quarter avalanche for the Celtics. Four threes splashed on clean looks without hesitation, each shaped by White’s vision. Elsewhere in the surge, Anfernee Simons buried one to stretch the run and pull the defense wider. White also stepped into takeover mode, drilling two deep shots that bent the floor and forced the Heat to scramble. In the same stretch, Hugo Gonzalez added another three, again set up by White, as coverage collapsed too late. Jaylen Brown capped it with two confident makes that sealed the moment.
Derrick White’s night matched the moment for the Celtics. Overall, he finished with 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting, scorching the net at 9-of-14 from deep. On top of that, he added five rebounds and six assists, including three that directly fueled the Celtics' fourth-quarter barrage. Control met aggression. Shot-making met trust.
The context only sharpens it further. The Celtics' 10 threes rank third all-time in a fourth quarter. Historically, only the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz have reached 11. The Heat kept competing. Still, the rain never stopped.
When the Celtics put it all together like this, the question cuts fast. Who’s stopping it when the storm hits?


















