The Celtics didn’t make things easy on themselves Tuesday night in Utah (12-20), but they did what good teams do on the road:

They figured it out.

Boston erased a 12-point first-half deficit, took control after halftime, and closed out a 129-119 win over the Jazz to improve to 20-12 on the season, and 2-1 so far on their five-game road trip.

It wasn’t pretty early. The threes weren’t falling (29% on the night), the energy lagged at times, and Utah had stretches where they looked very comfortable. To be honest, it was starting to look like the Celtics were going to, yet again, lose to a Jazz team this season despite Utah being among the bottom-tier teams in either conference.

Then Boston flipped the switch.

The Celtics outscored the Jazz 70-55 in the second half, leaned into their defensive versatility, and let their decision-makers take over late.

This was one of those wins that doesn’t scream dominance, but quietly reinforces why Boston remains firmly in the East’s top tier.

Let’s break down the performance with four takeaways from this gritty road win in Salt Lake City:

1. Derrick White’s Statistical Anomaly:

Derrick White started 0 for 5, but that didn’t matter.

In the second half, White took over, scoring 22 of his 27 points, attacking the paint, drawing fouls, and disrupting Utah defensively.

Then there’s the box score oddity:

27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and a career-high 7 blocks.

No Celtic has ever done that in a single game. That includes the likes of Bill Russell and Kevin Garnett, two of the greatest defensive players in NBA history.

White impacted both ends: rim protection, playmaking, and infusing energy when Boston needed it most.

A quiet but elite two-way game from a player who has finally turned his season around from inconsistent to consistently playing a complete game.

2. Brown’s Streak Ends, But He Still Looked Like An MVP:

Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points and 10 assists, ending his 30-point streak at nine games. But there’s no reason for concern.

Brown wasn’t chasing history. He was making the right play.

Utah pressured Brown, who moved the ball well, finished 9 of 19 with just 2 turnovers, created for teammates, and scored late when needed.

That’s growth.

The streak ends, but the version of Brown Boston needs showed up anyway. He continues looking like a real MVP candidate.

MORE CELTICS STORIES:

Jaylen Brown Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (December 22-28)

Jaylen Brown Ties Larry Bird For Most Consecutive 30-Point Games in Celtics History

Celtics Lose 114-108 in Portland, Get Much-Needed Reminder

3. Simons Gets Crunch Time Minutes:

Head coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t just hand out late-game minutes. You have you earn them.

Simons earned his on Tuesday night.

The reserve guard brought scoring punch, spacing, and pace, which led Mazzulla to lean into a three-guard lineup for most of the fourth quarter.

The result? Boston outscored Utah 30-23 down the stretch.

Simons scored 20 with a team-best plus-27, defended, and kept the floor spaced, earning his late minutes and once again giving oxygen to this question:

‘Why doesn’t this guy get more burn?’

4. Garza The Stabilizer:

While the second half belonged to Boston’s guards, Luka Garza’s minutes mattered early.

After struggling in Portland, Garza bounced back with 15 points in 19 minutes, knocking down two threes and finishing strong inside.

His offense helped keep Boston afloat during a sluggish first quarter and gave the second unit structure, something he’s been able to do at times throughout the season.

It also mattered in a rotation sense, as Garza’s steady play makes it hard to justify flipping back to Josh Minott at backup center anytime soon.

Minott, of course, is much shorter than Garza - listed at 6-foot-8 vs. listed at 6-foot-10. Plus, Minott doesn’t necessarily carry along the type of bulk you’d want to see in an undersized five-man. So this is only a conversation that can be had against certain opponents.

It wasn’t flashy on Tuesday, just effective. That’s what matters.

Boston moves on to Sacramento (8-24) on Thursday, still very much in control of its road trip.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.