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Sacramento Kings (12-37) at Boston Celtics (29-18)Friday, January 30, 20267:30 PM ETRegular Season Game #48, Home Game #23TV: NBCSB, NBCSCA, NBA League PassRadio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1140 AM Sactown Sports, Sirius XMTD Garden
The Celtics continue their home stand after a win over the Trail Blazers on Monday and a loss to the Hawks on Wednesday. This is the 2nd, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won 120-106 in Sacramento on January 1. hey split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are 194-120 overall all time against the Kings and 104-34 in games played in Boston.
The Kings have made a few moves since last season. They traded Jonas Valanciunas to Denver for Dario Saric in what is likely a salary move. They lost Jake LaRavia as a free agent to the Lakers. They signed Drew Eubanks, Dennis Schroder, Precious Achiuwa, and Russell Westbrook as free agents. They drafted Nique Clifford with the 24th pick in the 2025 draft that they acquired from OKC for a 2027 protected first round pick. They also drafted Maxime Raynaud with the 42nd pick.
The Celtics have slipped back to 3rd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are tied with 2nd place New York, 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto and 5th place Cleveland, 3 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 4 games ahead of 7th place Miami. The Celtics are 8-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 14-8 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Kings are 14th in the West, 26 games behind 1st place Oklahoma City, 11.5 games behind 10th place Los Angeles Clippers, and 7.5 games behind 12th place Dallas. They are tied with 15th place New Orleans. They are 4-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 3-21 on the road and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 7 games.
This game is the 3rd game of a 4 game home stand where they won over Portland on Monday and lost to the Hawks on Wednesday. They will face Milwaukee on Sunday to close out the home stand. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break. After the break, they will head out on a 4 game Western road trip through Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix, and Denver.
This is the 5th game of a 6 game road trip for the Kings. They lost to Cleveland, Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia in the first 4 and will complete the trip at Washington. They return home to host Memphis, LA Clippers, and Cleveland before heading on the road to play at New Orleans and at Utah before the All Star break.
For the Celtics, Neemias Queta missed Wednesdays game with an illness. He has been upgraded to available for this game. Jaylen Brown is listed as out due to a right knee contusion and left hamstring tightness. Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues to rehab his torn Achilles.
For the Kings, Zach LaVine missed the last 2 games as he was dealing with back issues but came off the bench against the 76ers on Thursday. I’m guessing that he returns to the starting lineup for this game. If he once again comes off the bench, Nique Clifford will likely start once again in his place.
Russell Westbrook missed Thursday’s game with a foot injury and is out for this game. I’m guessing that Dennis Schroder will likely start in his place. Malik Monk missed Thursday’s game and is off the injury list for this game at this time. Keegan Murray is out with an ankle injury.
Probable Starting MatchupsPG: Derrick White vs Dennis Schroder
SG: Payton Pritchard vs Zach LaVine
SF: Baylor Scheierman vs DeMar DeRozan
PF: Sam Hauser vs Precious Achiuwa
C: Neemias Queta vs Maxime Reynaud
Celtics ReservesAnfernee SimonsHugo GonzalezXavier TillmanJosh MinottJordan WalshLuka GarzaChris Boucher2-Way PlayersRon Harper, JrMax ShulgaAmari WilliamsInjuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) outJaylen Brown (knee/hamstring) outNeemias Queta (illness) available
Kings ReservesDevin CarterNique CliffordKeon EllisDrew EubanksDoug McDermottMalik MonkDario Saric
2-Way PlayersDylan CardwellDaeqwon PlowdenIsaiah StevensInjuries/OutDomantas Sabonis (knee)Keegan Murray (ankle) outRussell Westbrook (foot) out
Key Matchups Payton Pritchard vs Zach LaVineLaVine is averaging 19.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 48.6% from the field and 39.9% from beyond the arc. He missed the first game against the Celtics and came off the bench for the Kings on Thursday after missing the previous 2 games. I’m guessing that he will return to the starting lineup for this game. If he doesn’t, Nique Clifford will likely get the start.
Baylor Scheierman vs DeMar DeRozanDeRozan is averaging 19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 33.7% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 56.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. DeRozan especially needs to be defended for mid-range shots where he excels.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Dennis SchroderSchroder is averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He is shooting 41.6% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 58.3% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. With Westbrook out, I’m guessing that Schroder gets the start and he is likely to give a little extra effort to beat his former team.
Keys to the GameDefense – Defense is always the key to winning every game. The Kings have a defensive rating of 119.5 (28th). The Celtics defensive rating is 113.7, 12th in the league. The Celtics need to defend the paint as the Kings average 48.5 points in the paint per game. The Kings average 30.1 three pointers attempted per game, which is 30th in the league and they are last with 10.5 3 pointers made per game. The Celtics need to play tough lock down defense both inside and out.
Rebound – 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 44.9 rebounds per game to 40.9 rebounds per game for the Kings. The Celtics have to beat the Kings to rebounds and not allow them to get second chance points and extra possessions.
Don’t Underestimate – Once again, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500. It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Kings and expect an easy win against a 12 win team. That would be a mistake because this Kings team has beaten Denver, Minnesota, Miami and Houston so they aren’t an easy team to beat if you don’t bring the effort. The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Kings are very capable of beating them if they don’t play their best.
To 3 or Not to 3 – The Celtics are 2nd in the league, attempting 42.3 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren’t falling, the Celtics struggle. Against the Hawks, the Celtics shot just 26.5% on threes. If the Celtics aren’t hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B. Most of all, they need to focus on taking good shots and making them.
X-FactorsHome Court Advantage – The Celtics are at home and need to use that to their advantage. They are playing in front of their own fans and on their own familiar court while the Kings are playing on the road and have travel and a hostile crowd and road fatigue to distract them. The Celtics need to bounce back from their loss at home against the Hawks and start a home win streak with a win here.
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.
