Jayson Tatum is well aware of Derrick White’s exclusion from ESPN’s Top 100 players list that was published before the season started. Safe to say he wasn’t pleased.

“D-White’s a hell of a basketball player,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ win over the Knicks on Monday. “It’s a damn shame they left him off the Top 100 players. That’s why I never pay attention to (expletive) like that.”

White’s performance in Monday night’s victory may not jump out on the box score, but the impact he made was noticeable to his teammates. White missed his first six shots of the game and was scoreless until the game was out of reach late in the fourth quarter, but he still made several winning plays.

White’s scoring drought did not affect him as the Celtics were closing the game. The C’s led by 13 with under four minutes left when Jaylen Brown’s missed 3-pointer was rebounded by Jalen Brunson. As Brunson dribbled the ball up the floor, White snuck up from behind to poke the ball loose for a steal. Seconds later, he found Tatum in the corner, where he hit a dagger 3-pointer.

With 2:14 to go, White broke through with a step-back 3-pointer. But the aforementioned play spoke volumes about his selflessness and mindset. White is capable of scoring 30 points on a given night, but surrounded by so much talent, he’s not going to need to do that on most nights. He’s happy in his role in making plays that may not necessarily draw attention, whether it’s on defense or being a floor general on offense.

“Because we have such a good team, success is going to look different all the time,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “And Derrick’s success is going to look different. Him and Jrue (Holiday) are constantly just doing all the little things, and that can go unnoticed at times. So they both hit big-time shots tonight, and they both continue to make massive plays on the defensive end.

“I thought Derrick struggled a little bit shooting, but it never affects his mindset and his defense.”

Those things may not be rewarded on ESPN 100 lists, but the Celtics understand and appreciate White’s value every night.

“D-White is so valuable, we’re so lucky to have him and even when he’s not shooting the ball well and he makes winning plays like getting that back tap, little things like that,” Tatum said. “Always competes on defense, contesting shots. He’s a hell of a player and we’re lucky to have him.”

Holiday hits milestone

Jrue Holiday had no idea he was approaching 15,000 career points. After he reached the milestone when he made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter on Monday, he learned about it at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the Celtics revealed a graphic on the video board and the fans gave him a standing ovation. Holiday looked up and waved to the crowd.

“I heard my name a little bit, so I figured I did something wrong,” Holiday joked.

The 33-year-old Holiday, who’s in his 15th season, became the 151st player in NBA history to reach 15,000 career points.

“It’s cool, you know?” Holiday said. “It means that I’ve played long enough. I played for a long time. But it’s cool. I didn’t know it was coming. I should probably tune in a little better. It’s always good to get it when you win.”

That’s the hallmark of Holiday, who won a championship with the Bucks two years ago and was brought to the Celtics to be a difference-maker in their title pursuit. The fact that he was unaware that he was nearing an individual milestone is fitting. Asked what means the most among his career accomplishments, Holiday didn’t hesitate.

“Winning games. That’s the only one, to be completely honest,” Holiday said. “It’s cool to get those accolades, I won’t lie, but I think the biggest one is winning.”

Proud son

During the Celtics’ win over the Knicks, it was announced that Tatum’s father, Justin, was named the interim head coach of the Illawarra Hawks in the Australian National Basketball League.

Justin Tatum had a decorated college basketball career at Saint Louis before embarking on a coaching career that included coaching his high school team to three state championships. He was an assistant coach with Illawarra before being promoted when the team fired coach Jacob Jackomas this week following a 2-7 start to the season. Jayson said he found out the news on Sunday night.

“I’m extremely happy for him and proud of him. That’s a big, big step. I know he’s trying to build his resume and his coaching career. Won multiple state titles in high school, different teams. And then being over in Australia for the last four months and now is the head coach for the Hawks. So I’m excited for him and looking forward to him kind of changing that organization around.” …

The Celtics announced Kristaps Porzingis is questionable for Wednesday night’s rematch against the 76ers due to a right knee contusion. Neemias Queta, who has missed the first 10 games of the season with a right foot injury, was upgraded to questionable.

The C’s are facing the 76ers in Philadelphia for a second consecutive Wednesday night, and they’ll be looking to avenge last week’s 106-103 loss. The Sixers will be playing the second night of a back-to-back after Tuesday’s In-Season Tournament game against the Pacers. They entered that matchup with an East-leading 8-1 record following an eight-game winning streak.