BOSTON — Derrick White strolled into the Celtics locker room with a smile on his face about an hour before tipoff Wednesday night. After greeting a team employee, White briefly stopped at his locker. Before heading out to the court, he said three words to his nearby teammates. “Let’s win one,” White said.

The Celtics star appeared to grab Josh Hart’s crotch while trying to get around a pick in the early moments of the second half of the Game 5 matchup at TD Garden on Wednesday night. Hart did not take kindly to the apparent cup-check, shoving Brown in a testy exchange over that resulted in technical fouls for both.

Jaylen Brown will play in tonight's crucial Game 5 against the Knicks, a lifeline for the Celtics as they trail 3-1. With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles injury, Brown's offensive boost and leadership are vital.

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics now trail the New York Knicks 3-1 in their second-round NBA playoff series after a 121-113 loss Monday night. To make matters worse, they also lost Jayson Tatum to what appeared to be a serious injury. Brown finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

On the strength of a 39-point performance by Jalen Brunson, another fantastic fourth quarter from Mikal Bridges and by far their best offensive showing of the series, the New York Knicks took a 3-1 series lead against the Boston Celtics with a 121-113 win in Game 4 on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Brown finished with 19 points, hitting a pair of threes and applying constant pressure through aggressive drives. While Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard lit up the scoreboard from outside, it was Brown’s interior presence that often initiated Boston’s best offensive sequences.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown wasn't all doom and gloom after Boston blew Game 2 and slipped into an 0-2 hole against the New York Knicks.

While speaking on First Take Thursday morning, Windhorst revealed that the Celtics "could break up if they lose this series," especially given the fact that the reigning champions have so many inflated contracts that go beyond their star-studded duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown.