The Celtics continue their road trip with a stop in Sacramento to take on the Kings. This is the first of 2 games this season between these two teams. The Celtics played the Warriors in San Francisco on Tuesday night. This is the 3rd game in 4 days but they will have 2 days off before they play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. They will finish this road trip on Christmas Day with a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics remain first in the East, half a game ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 2 games ahead of 3rd place Philadelphia and 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Orlando. They are 6-6 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 1-2 against Western Conference opponents. They had won 5 games straight games before the loss to the Warriors. The Kings are 4th in the West, 4 games behind 1st place Minnesota and 1 ahead of New Orleans for 7th. They are 10-3 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 3-0 against Eastern teams and have won their last 3 games.
This is the first of 2 games between these teams. They will play for the 2nd and final time in Boston on April 5. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games, playing the Warriors on Tuesday. The Celtics are 2-1 in back to back games and 1-1 when both games are on the road. The Celtics are 190-119 against the Kings all time overall and 87-86 in games on the road.
The Celtics are playing in the 2nd of a 4 game road trip. They went to overtime against the Warriors on Tuesday and will play the Clippers on Saturday and the Lakers on Christmas Day. They will then head home for a back to back set against Detroit and Toronto before a 2 game road trip against the Spurs and Thunder. The Kings are playing in the 4th game of a 6 game home stand. They are 3-0 so far and will play Phoenix and Minnesota to finish it out.
Kristaps Porzingis was on the injury report on Tuesday for left calf strain injury management but is not on the injury report for tonight’s game. Al Horford out for this one due to it being back to back. Luke Kornet remains out with a thigh injury. Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle in Tuesday’s game and is out for tonight’s game.
Joe Mazzulla has been inconsistent in who he starts when one of the starters is out for injury so it’s hard to predict who will start in Tatum’s place. With Horford and Kornet also out, the Celtics are once again shorthanded up front. Joe started Lamar Stevens at center when Porzingis was out previously, so he may get the start here. However, I’m going to guess that Oshae Brissett will get the start in this one, given his good play recently. For the Kings, only Alex Len is on the injury report with a high ankle sprain and will miss this game.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Oshae Brissett
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Nathan Knight
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
Luke Kornet (thigh) out
Al Horford (rest) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Kings Starters
PG: De’Aaron Fox
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Keegan Murray
C : Domantas Sabonis
Kings Reserves
Chris Duarte
Kessler Edwards
Colby Jones
Trey Lyles
JaVale McGee
Davion Mitchell
Malik Monk
Juan Toscano-Anderson
Sasha Vezenkov
Two Way Players
Keon Ellis
Jordan Ford
Jalen Slawson
Injuries/Out
Alex Len (ankle) out
Head Coach
Mike Brown
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs De’Aaron Fox
Fox is averaging 30.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from beyond the arc. The Celtics will need to slow him down and also take care of the ball as he is always a threat to get a steal.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
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Domantas Sabonis
Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis is averaging 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He is shooting 58% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Honorable Mention
Oshae Brissett vs Keegan Murray
Murray is averaging 16 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 44.7% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Keegan is coming off a 47 point, 8 rebound game against the Wizards on Monday and so he is very capable of having a big game. Once again, I’m just guessing that Brissett will start here.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning every game. The Kings have a defensive rating of 114.9(17th). The Celtics defensive rating is 109.2, 2nd in the league. The Celtics need to defend the paint as the Kings average 48.4 points in the paint per game. The Kings are 3rd in the league, right behind the Celtics with 41.8 three pointers attempted per game so the Celtics must also defend the perimeter. The Celtics need to tighten up their defense as that is likely what will win this game.
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 46.5 rebounds per game to 43.8 rebounds per game for the Kings. The Kings average 14.8 second chance points per game and so they have to put out extra effort to beat the Kings to the boards and to limit their second chance points.
Focus and Effort – The Celtics need to stay focused on playing the right way. They have to focus on moving the ball carefully, on taking good shots, on going after loose balls and on playing the right way. In the past, the Celtics would beat much better teams just because they played harder and put out more effort. The Celtics must play with increased focus and effort if they expect to beat the Kings.
Reserve Play – With the Celtics playing back to back, the Celtics will need to get good minutes from their bench. The Celtics will need to rest and when the subs come in, they have to produce in order for the Celtics to stay with the Kings. The Celtics may be short handed with A Horford and Luke Kornet both out for this one. Every player will need to play hard and stay focused.
X-Factors
Fatigue on the Road – This is the second game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics have had to travel across the country and across 3 time zones. They are also playing on the second night of back to back games after going to overtime in their loss to the Warriors. Fatigue could come into play for them. Also they need to ignore the distractions of travel, an unfamiliar arena and a hostile crowd and concentrate on playing together and playing the right way.
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.
