The Celtics return home after a 3-1 Western road trip to host the Sacramento Kings. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet again in Boston on March 24. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. The Celtics are 192-119 all time against the Kings and they are 70-75 at home. They are 47-29 against the Kings in the Sacramento era and 30-7 in Boston over that period.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, but have slipped to 6 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won 12 straight games. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 5.5 games ahead of 4th place Orlando. They are 13-6 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 5-3 vs Western Conference opponents and are coming off a win in their last game.
The Kings are 11th in the West, 12.5 games behind first place Oklahoma City. They are tied with 10th place San Antonio and half a game behind 9th place Golden State. They are 2.5 games behind the 6th place Lakers and 1 game ahead of 12th place Phoenix. They are 8-7 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 5-5 against Eastern Conference teams. They are 5-1 since Mike Brown was fired as coach and have won their last 5 games.
The Kings made one big move in the off season. They traded Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte and picks to Chicago for DeMar DeRozan. They signed Jordan McLaughlin, Orlando Robinson and Keon Ellis in free agency. They drafted Devin Carter. Players lost from last season’s team include Kessler Edwards, Jordan Ford, JaVale McGee and Jalen Slawson. The biggest move came on December 27 when they fired Mike Brown and moved Doug Christie to interim coach. They are on a 5 game win streak and are 5-1 since that move.
The Celtics just completed a 4 game road trip that started with back to back wins over Minnesota and Houston and ended with a win over Denver. Their only loss was to the Thunder. This is the first of 2 home games against Western Conference teams with New Orleans coming up on Sunday. They then head to Toronto to face the Raptors for the 3rd time. They will then host Orlando and Atlanta before their 2nd Western road trip of the month through Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers and Dallas.
The Kings last played at home on Monday when they beat the Heat in double overtime. They are beginning a 3 game road trip and will play at Chicago and Milwaukee after this game. They will then head home to face Houston, Washington and Golden State before heading out on a 6 game road trip through Denver, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Minnesota.
Derrick White missed Tuesday’s game with an illness but has been removed from the injury list for this one. Jordan Walsh missed Tuesday’s game with an illness and is questionable for this game. Drew Peterson is out with a concussion. For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox is out with a hip injury. Malik Monk will likely get the start in his place.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Al Horford
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Drew Peterson (concussion) out
Jordan Walsh (illness) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Kings Starters
PG: Malik Monk
SG: Keon Ellis
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Keegan Murray
C : Domantas Sabonis
Kings Reserves
Devin Carter
Jae Crowder
Kevin Huerter
Colby Jones
Alex Len
Trey Lyles
Doug McDermott
Jordan McLaughlin
Orlando Robinson
2 Way Players
Isaiah Crawford
Isaac Jones
Mason Jones
Injuries/Out
De’Aaron Fox (hip) out
Head Coach
Doug Christie (interim)
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs Malik Monk
Monk is averaging 17 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He is shooting 43.9% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc. With Fox out, Monk will likely get the start. He is a threat from the perimeter but also can get to the basket.
-
Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
-
Domantas Sabonis
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Domantas Sabonis
He is averaging 20.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He is shooting 59.2% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards and they need to guard him both inside and on the perimeter. After the Denver game, Porzingis said that he is almost back to feeling like he is healthy. We have to hope that will continue and that he stays healthy.
Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is averaging 20.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 48.6% from the field and 30.7% from beyond the arc. He is also very good from the midrange and so the Celtics must guard him for the entire possession, inside, midrange and on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning every game. The Kings have a defensive rating of 112.5 (16th). The Celtics defensive rating is 109.4, 6th in the league. The Celtics need to defend the paint as the Kings average 48.3 points in the paint per game. The Kings average 35.5 three pointers attempted per game so the Celtics must also defend the perimeter. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and commit to playing tough lock down defense for 48 minutes.
Rebound – Much of rebounding is effort and desire. The Celtics have to put out extra effort to grab the rebounds on both ends of the court. By doing so, they limit the second chance points and fast breaks for the Kings and also give themselves extra possessions. The Celtics are averaging 44.9 rebounds per game to 44.1 rebounds per game for the Kings. The Kings average 14.3 second chance points per game and extra effort from the Celtics can limit those.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes – The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to fight for loose balls, defend aggressively, be aggressive in driving to the basket, and just play harder than the Kings for the entire game. They have to begin the game with energy and not allow the Kings to get a big lead and they can’t let up throughout the game. They especially have to come out strong in the 3rd quarter and play hard until the final buzzer. As shown against the Thunder, the team that is more aggressive and that plays harder usually gets the benefit of more calls from the refs as well.
To 3 or Not to 3 – The Celtics are first in the league, attempting 49.8 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren’t falling, the Celtics struggle. If the Celtics aren’t hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. The Celtics attempted just 35 threes against Denver and they won the points in the paint. 60-46. The Celtics need to do the same in this game. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B.
X-Factors
Home Court Advantage – The Celtics worked hard to get home court throughout the playoffs last season, losing just 4 games at home all season. They have already lost 6 games at home this season and they need to get back to dominating on their home court. They are playing in front of their own fans and on their own familiar court while the Kings are playing on the road and have travel, a hostile crowd and road fatigue to distract them. However, the first game back after a big road trip is always a tough one.
Officiating – Officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew will call the game differently. Some will call every little thing and the game will have no flow. Others will let a lot go and let them play. Some crews favor the home team while others call it evenly or have a personal agenda. The Celtics need to adjust to how the game is called and not let the officials take away their focus.
And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community.
