The Boston Celtics had to play without Jayson Tatum Wednesday night. Luckily, they still had Derrick White and, even more luckily, they still had Payton Pritchard.

Derrick White scored 41 points and made nine three-pointers, while Pritchard did him one (or two) better, scoring 43 and hitting 10 threes.

The 19 three-pointers is the most a pair of teammates has ever made in a single game — and it wasn’t like they were chucking up shots.

The two went 19-for-33 from behind the arc, crucial on a night where the rest of their teammates were 4-for-21.

Boston held off the suddenly-dangerous Portland Trail Blazers, 128-118, but in the fourth quarter, the duo got it done with two-pointers.

White and Pritchard went 4-for-6 on twos, with Pritchard not attempting a single three in the final quarter, despite being one triple short of Marcus Smart’s franchise record of 11 three-pointers.

After the game, he told reporters he didn’t want to “force it.”

Pritchard may not have wanted to force up an 11th three-pointer, but he did force his way into pole position for the Sixth Man of the Year race.

He’s now shooting 42.3% from three-point range, while he’s eighth in the NBA in three-pointers, just behind Tatum (seventh) and White (fourth).

Celtics' Pritchard may have locked up award with historic night

For the first time in Boston Celtics history, two teammates scored over 40 points in a game, Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9), 41 points, and guard Payton Pritchard (11) ,43 points as they joke around after their win over the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

His only competition is Malik Beasley of the Detroit Pistons, who’s second in the NBA in total threes and shooting 42.2% from deep.

The difference? Beasley has started 13 games, to Pritchard’s zero, and the Celtics are nine games ahead of the Pistons. According to FanDuel, Pritchard is -210 to win the award, while Beasley is second at +260.

Awards aside, Wednesday’s game should be troubling for Boston’s playoff opponents.

With no Tatum and no Kristaps Porzingis, and with Jaylen Brown shooting 7-for-23, the Celtics still won by double digits.

Their sixth man is dangerous — and White, their third or fourth man, is deadly in his own right.

Pritchard and White combine for 84 points in Celtics victory