The Boston Celtics dismantled the Sacramento Kings on the road Wednesday night, grabbing a 114-119 victory and advancing to 21-6 on the season. It was a thrilling scoring showcase, anchored by a handsy defensive effort. And while the Celtics may have been without Jayson Tatum, who injured his ankle in the team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors the night before, his absence didn’t slow Boston’s roll against Sacramento.
The Celtics were red hot on offense, but it was the club’s defense that proved the most impressive part of this win. As a collective, they had 10 blocks on the night, just one metric to punctuate what a dominant performance it was from Boston. Credit Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown for coming up big and delivering a tidy victory.
Here’s what we saw during Boston’s 144-119 win over in Sacramento.
Celtics Lab 232: Celebrating Boston's sizzling start with Max Lederman – and a Festivus for the rest of us https://t.co/l7tKrMjpx4 pic.twitter.com/JwepnpGROn
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 19, 2023
Boston's offense
This game was a scoring clinic from both teams from the jump. Boston and Sacramento combined for 140 first half points. This included 28 made 3-pointers between the two clubs, tying an NBA record. So while the Celtics couldn’t quite stop the speedy Kings on defense, but keeping pace on the other end of the ball worked just fine.
In the second half, though, Boston pulled away, thanks to the combined efforts of White, Porzingis, and Brown. With his fellow All-Star out of the game, Brown came up big. He authored a 28-point night, to go with 6 assists and zero turnovers.
The Celtics shot an impressive 22-for-42 on 3-pointers, with just 9 giveaways. And with Payton Pritchard having a big night off the bench, five players scored 20 or more for Boston, something that the team hasn’t done since 1987.
Shams: Celtics are 'going to be aggressive' in searching for bench upgrades https://t.co/9LtMJltQaa pic.twitter.com/8vwkbOiIaS
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 20, 2023
Boston's defense
Sacramento is one of the fastest teams in the NBA, especially with De’Aaron Fox at the helm. To make matters worse, Fox began the game shooting the lights out. Fast guards can sometimes be a problem for Boston, and Fox has 26 points in that explosive first half.
The Celtics tightened the screws in a big way in the third quarter, however. White and Porzingis in particular deserve extra praise. Their individual efforts and ability to turn defense into offense was decisive. For the night, Porzingis had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 blocks. White, meanwhile, had 28 points of his own to go with 7 assists and 3 blocks.
Fox, meanwhile, finished the game with 29 points.
The Kings offense isn’t quite as potent this season as it was a year ago. Still, Bosotn’s ability to neuter a tough opponent like this is special. This is especially true considering the Celtics were also missing Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
Boston two way big man Neemias Queta gets double-double in Celtics loss to Golden State https://t.co/LaxrqV3tmt pic.twitter.com/WQ9R9jxZ70
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 21, 2023
Final thoughts
With the result, Boston has begun this road trip 1-1. Now the Celtics continue their California vacation by heading down the coast for two games in the City of Angels with plenty of momentum.
Boston will first face a new-look Los Angeles Clippers that has been on a tear as of late. From there, the Celtics will suit up for a Christmas Day tilt against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Boston Celtics and civil rights icon Bill Russell: A life well-lived in photos https://t.co/rTCpv79njs pic.twitter.com/MjLoaiDGbV
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 20, 2023
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