Kings Late Comeback Falls Short in 101-100 Loss to Celtics

Sacramento goes winless in their back-to-back series in New York and Boston.

Apr 5, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots a lay up against Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8). / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

After taking a tough loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings had their hands full on the second leg of their back-to-back against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The Celtics hold the league's top record at 61-16, losing just three games at home, so the shorthanded Kings were not expected to come out of Boston with a victory.

After a 20-point quarter from De'Aaron Fox kept the Kings within four at halftime, the Celtics dominated the next quarter and a half, taking a 19-point lead with just six minutes remaining. The wide margin led Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics to put in their reserves, but the Kings were not giving up that easily.

The Kings outscored the Celtics 21-3 in the final six minutes of the game, even taking the lead with 27 seconds left. Despite not scoring over three points in a game in over three weeks, Boston's Xavier Tillman nailed the game-winning floater with seven seconds left. The Kings had three chances to regain the lead and win the game before the buzzer, but all attempts missed the mark and Sacramento will leave Boston with a bucket of lost hope.

Sacramento's Fox finished with a game-high 40 points, while star teammate Domantas Sabonis racked in 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Celtics, without Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, were led by sixth-man Payton Pritchard with 21 points, shooting 5-10 from deep, his second time this season scoring 20+ points against the Kings.

The back-to-back losses in New York and Boston put the Kings in a vulnerable spot with just five games remaining, as they are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers in eighth place in the West.

Sacramento will stay on the road for two more games, the next being against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday,

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