Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from the Celtics' Win vs. Kings: Boston Doesn't Succumb to Potential Trap Game
The Celtics improved to 2-0 on their three-game West Coast trip and four-game road-jaunt, earning a 126-97 win over the Kings Friday.
Boston remains fourth in the East but is now 1.5 games ahead of the fifth-seeded Bulls. The Celtics are one behind the third-place Sixers and 1.5 back of the Bucks, who are in second.
Now, for a deep dive into what stood out from the Celtics' win in Sacramento.
Jaylen Brown Paces the Celtics to a 32-26 Lead After One
Jaylen Brown, who consistently gets off to good starts, did so again Friday, leading all scorers with 16 points in the first quarter. Brown did a great job utilizing his size, strength, and athletic gifts to get downhill and attack the basket.
He also generated points off of cuts, something he's very good at, and drained this gorgeous baseline fadeaway over the backboard.
After the game, Jayson Tatum said about Brown scoring 16 points in the opening frame: "That was big...It got our offense going. I think we shot the ball really well tonight, and it started with him...we all feed off that energy."
Brown finished with 30 points on 11/18 (61.1 percent) shooting, including going 3/5 (60 percent) from beyond the arc. He also scored 16 points in the paint, went 5/8 (62.5 percent) at the free-throw line, grabbed three rebounds, and swiped two steals.
Jayson Tatum Takes the Torch in the Second
Tatum grabbed the baton from Brown and scored 17 points in the second quarter. He entered halftime with 22, shooting 8/10 from the field, including 6/7 (85.7 percent) on threes, combining with Brown for 42 in the first half.
Once Tatum heated up, there was nothing the Kings could do to cool him off. He ended the night with a game-high 32 points on 12/16 (75 percent) shooting, including cashing in on seven of his ten threes.
Along with being nearly automatic from beyond the arc, he had consistent success attacking the basket, producing ten points in the paint.
Tatum, who dished out four assists, also made some sensational hook passes off the dribble.
Both Teams Shot Over 50 Percent on Threes in the First Half
The Celtics and Kings were on fire from beyond the arc in the first half, including a stretch where they traded baskets in the second quarter.
Entering the break, Boston was 11/19 (57.9 percent) from long range, while Sacramento, led by Justin Holiday going 4/6, was 9/18.
The difference was that the Celtics also generated 32 points in the paint compared to the 12 produced by the home team.
Boston sustained its hot shooting and continued attacking the rim in the second half, finishing 22/40 (55 percent) from beyond the arc and scoring 48 points in the paint.
Conversely, the Kings ended the night 13/36 (36.1 percent) from long range and scored 28 points in the paint, which is respectable but not nearly enough to overcome what was happening on the other end of the floor.
Boston's Ball and Player Movement Were Fantastic
The Celtics assisted on 33 of their 46 made field goals (71.7 percent) and had plenty of hockey assists to go with it.
Boston continues to play decisively, Tatum's willingness to pass when the double team comes is punishing opponents for the decision to send a second defender at him, and the Celtics are quick to turn a good shot into a great one.
As pointed out in the header, Boston's off-ball activity was also superb, something exemplified by this cut by Brown for two points at the rim, capitalizing on a lack of cohesion by the Kings as they tried to slow down the Celtics with a zone defense.
The Disparity in Transition Scoring
The Celtics did a great job of capitalizing on their opportunities in the open court, registering 24 points off 16 Sacramento turnovers and scoring 20 on fast breaks.
Boston also did an excellent job limiting the Kings in transition, holding them to 10 points off 13 turnovers and only giving up two on fast breaks.
Wild Third Quarter Gives Kings Life
Up by 23, the Celtics fell into a cycle of driving to the basket, often drawing contact but not getting the call or making their shots. That allowed the Kings to operate against a defense that hadn't gotten set, which they capitalized on, ripping off a 14-0 run to cut their deficit to single digits.
The lack of calls led to frustration that produced a technical on Ime Udoka when Marcus Smart drove to the rim, got hit on the arm, hit the deck, but didn't get a whistle. Smart, who had complained about several other plays in the game, kept his composure, and he surely appreciated his coach standing up for him.
There were also two more technicals in the period, as Domantas Sabonis picked one up for his displeasure about the lack of a call on a play in the low post where he scored two of his team-high 30 points. That tech was pretty soft, as was the one on Grant Williams after getting called for a foul inconsistent with how the officials were governing the third quarter. What makes it even worse is that Trey Lyles slipped, and Williams never made contact with him.
Sacramento outscored Boston 31-25 in the frame, but in the final 2:05, the Celtics doubled up the Kings, 8-4, helping them take a 92-79 lead into the fourth quarter.
Celtics Run Away with the Win
Boston didn't let its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, generating 34 points compared to 18 from the home team.
After Payton Pritchard led all scorers with ten points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's win against the Warriors, he did it again Friday. This time, he registered nine points, going 3/3 from beyond the arc.
Pritchard also dished out four assists, which were the most in the final frame. He finished tied with Marcus Smart and Donte DiVincenzo with a game-high eight assists.
The second-year guard's production helped Boston's bench outscore Sacramento's 45-15. Daniel Theis chipped in 11 points, and Grant Williams and Derrick White scored seven. It was also great to see White, who's been struggling from long range and went 0/5 on threes against Golden State, knock down his last one of the night to avoid doing that again on Friday.
After the game, Ime Udoka said his message to White is to "take the open ones; and have no hesitation...We were all really encouraging him. We know what he adds to the team...If shots aren't falling, he can impact the game in so many other ways."
Regarding what Udoka liked about this win, he said: "Early on, great energy from the start...In general, (the) offense (was) crisp...good focus, regardless of who they were playing, and that's what we've gotta do."
Tatum said about the victory: "We came a long way from the beginning of the season...Tonight could've been one of those times we gave up the lead. It shows the growth of our team."
He also spoke about Udoka, saying: "He's done a great job. You just think about (a) first-year head coach in Boston, with the expectations and the rocky start we had, (the) outside noise...We always felt we were right there to turn that corner, and we all believed that, and he did a great job of making sure we were on the same page."
Up Next
The Celtics wrap up their west coast trip in Denver against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets Sunday night. Tip-off is at 8:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
What Stood Out from Celtics' Win vs. Warriors: Boston's Defense Stifles Golden State
[Photos and Videos] Celtics Raise Kevin Garnett's #5 to the Rafters
Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
