Riding a five-game win streak and 5-1 record since naming Doug Christie interim head coach, the Sacramento Kings looked to continue streaking as they began a three-game road trip in TD Garden against the Boston Celtics.
They did just that, holding the high-powered Celtics offense to double-digits en route to their 114-97 victory.
Without De’Aaron Fox for the third straight night, the Kings got notable contributions from across the board.
Domantas Sabonis led the way with an absurd statline, recording 23 points, 28 rebounds, and three assists on 10/15 shooting, including 3/4 from three.
DeMar DeRozan scored half of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Malik Monk added 22 of his own while Keegan Murray (19) and Devin Carter (11) helped from the perimeter.
16 offensive rebounds, winning the turnover battle, and holding a Boston team that averages a league-high 49.8 three-point attempts per game to 11/41 from distance made all the difference.
Kings at Celtics Game Notes
Playing in their third straight games without De’Aaron Fox, the Sacramento Kings hoped to extend their winning streak to six on the road against the defending champions. The Boston Celtics shoot more triples (49.8) than any other NBA team, but it was the Kings who came out hot.
With no Fox, Keon Ellis got his third consecutive start alongside Malik Monk. Monk and Domantas Sabonis controlled the pace early while finding and creating spray triples for their teammates.
By the end of the first quarter, Sacramento was 8/18 from three compared to Boston’s 4/14. Keegan Murray (2/2), Sabonis (2/3), and Monk (2/4) each had a pair of made threes.
That stellar offensive production left the Kings with a 34-27 lead at the end of the opening frame. Of course, there was plenty of time remaining for the Celtics high-powered offense to find a rhythm.
With no Fox, larger creation responsibility is placed on DeRozan, Monk, and Sabonis.
Sacramento’s lineup at the start of the second quarter — Carter/Huerter/DeRozan/Murray/Lyles — played with a significantly slower pace compared to their eccentric start. It’s understandable with DeRozan being the featured guy, but it’s still a jarring difference.
That group allowed most of a big 16-3 run in Boston’s favor. It was the worst stretch of a poor entire second quarter, where the Kings were outscored 28-19.
They followed up a red-hot first quarter from three by shooting 1/12 from deep in the second quarter. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis, hunted favorable mismatches against Sacramento’s switching defense, leading their team to a narrow 55-53 advantage at the midway point.
-Monk had a game-high 14 points and four assists on 6/12 from the field, getting more opportunity without Fox next to him. Trey Lyles had four of the Kings’ seven offensive rebounds, speaking to his effort levels in 15 minutes of action.
As usual, Sabonis also made his impact felt on the glass. He had 20 rebounds by midway through the third. It’s his fifth time recording 20 or more rebounds in a game this season, which is the most in the NBA.
Both sides seemed to be crawling along to start the second half, with a lack of pace that favored the Celtics. A stretch of forcing turnovers and securing more offensive rebounds allowed the Kings to stick around despite DeRozan’s inability to get rolling.
Tied at 76 going into the final frame, it had been somewhat of a defensive battle.
Rookie Devin Carter started to get going in the fourth. The 2024 lottery pick scored eight points in the first few minutes of the quarter of his fourth NBA game, including back-to-back triples over Porzingis.
His efforts and the continued greatness of Sabonis propelled Sacramento to a 16-5 run to start the fourth.
Those two were the original late-game energy creators, but Murray kept the momentum rolling in their favor. Before they left for this three-game road trip, the third-year forward said he finally felt like himself again, and it’s showing. His fourth triple of the night gave the Kings a 97-83 lead with six and a half minutes of action remaining.
Providence head coach Kim English was in the building to watch Carter, who got a chance to play big minutes alongside the four other starters late until Lyles eventually replaced him around the 4:30 mark.
Dealing with a notable advantage down the stretch, the clock played in Sacramento’s favor. Hitting occasional shots, forcing turnovers, and securing offensive rebounds allowed them to maintain that lead until the final buzzer in TD Garden.
Despite a slow start, DeRozan turned it on in the fourth quarter with 12 points and four assists on 4/6 shooting in the quarter.
It was a team-wide effort and probably Sacramento’s best win of the season, extending their streak to six straight.
Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule
- Sunday, January 12th – @ Chicago Bulls – 12:30 PM PT
- Tuesday, January 14th – @ Milwaukee Bucks – 5:00 PM PT
- Thursday, January 16th – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
- Sunday, January 19th – vs. Washington Wizards – 6:00 PM PT
- Thursday, January 23rd – @ Denver Nuggets – 6:00 PM PT
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