White scores 34 to help Celtics stave off elimination with 127-102 Game 5 win over Knicks

BOSTON (AP) — Before the Boston Celtics took the floor without their biggest star on a night they had to win, Joe Mazzulla implored his players to just pour everything they had into winning one game.

They did, and the defending NBA champions earned another chance to extend their season.

Derrick White had 34 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Celtics to a 127-102 Game 5 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night that kept them alive in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We did what was necessary to do what we needed to do to get it back to New York,” Mazzulla said. “You don’t get to pick the test that you have, you pick how you respond to them.”

The Celtics connected on 22 3-pointers to post their first home victory of the series and first without Jayson Tatum following his season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

“Losing JT is tough,” White said. “But we’ve got a lot of guys that are highly competitive, and we didn’t want the season to end tonight.”

The Knicks will try again to win the series Friday in New York. If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday.

Jaylen Brown added 26 points and 12 assists. Payton Pritchard had 17 points and five 3-pointers. Luke Kornet finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. He started the second half for Kristaps Porzingis, who played just 12 minutes. Mazzulla said Porzingis was having trouble breathing as he continues to deal with a lingering viral illness.

The Celtics are looking to become just the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in 294 attempts.

Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24 points despite briefly leaving the game late in the first quarter to close a bloody gash over his eye after he took an inadvertent elbow.

Jalen Brunson added 22 points before fouling out with 7:19 to play in the game.

Boston closed the third quarter on a 23-9 run and took a 91-76 lead to the fourth. Brunson spent the final 2:45 of the third on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.

“They came out with a sense of urgency that we need,” Brunson said.

The Celtics kept it going in the final period, pushing their lead as high as 28 points.

The game was highly physical throughout and included a brief face-to-face skirmish between Hart and Brown.

That energy carried over offensively. The Celtics came out hot, getting five 3s from White and 12 total in the opening 24 minutes.

“We’ve got to play desperate. I don’t think we did that,” Knicks guard Mikal Bridges said.

But the Knicks held as much as a nine-point lead, connecting on eight 3s of their own and getting 10 second-chance points. Mitchell Robinson also converted on all four of his free throw attempts in the first half, nullifying the series-long intentional foul strategy Boston employed on him.

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Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) dunks against the New York Knicks during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard celebrates after hitting a basket against the New York Knicks during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family waved to a crowd of flag-waving New Year’s well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Standing with his wife Masako and the rest of the royal family, he wished a happy new year to people lined up below the palace balcony, some shouting, “banzai" — Japanese for "long live.”

The annual New Year’s appearance by the emperor and his family draws huge crowds to the palace’s usually cloistered grounds in central Tokyo.

People stand in long lines, weathering the cold, for each of the five appearances during the day, as the imperial family remains relatively popular.

The emperor does not have political power but holds symbolic significance for Japan. He and his family are longtime advocates for peace, although World War II was fought in the name of Naruhito’s grandfather Hirohito.

In a statement released in advance, Naruhito noted that last year marked 80 years since the end of that war. He stressed the importance of the message of peace, given that war and strife continued in parts of the world.

“I deeply feel it’s important to continue with efforts among people for dialogue, trying to deepen mutual understanding, so we can build a world of peace,” he said in the statement.

In both the statement and comments Friday, he spoke about recent natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall and snow, and forest fires.

In 2024, the annual appearance was canceled because of a New Year’s Day quake in the Noto Peninsula, a coastal area in central Japan, which killed hundreds of people. In 2021 and 2022, it got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Princess Aiko, the imperial couple's only child, appeared with her parents at this year’s greeting, as did other relatives. She is at the center of a national debate about rules allowing only men to inherit to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The presence of Naruhito’s nephew, Hisahito, also drew attention, as he now takes part in adult imperial events and is a possible heir to the throne. He is second in line after his father, the emperor’s brother.

Akihito, Naruhito’s father and emperor emeritus who abdicated in 2019, was also there with his wife Michiko, the emperor’s mother.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama

Japan's Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito, daughter and son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito greets well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)