The Celtics beat the Kings 120-106 in a late-night Thursday game in Sacramento. The C’s improved to 21-12 on the season, including 3-1 on this five-game road trip. The Kings dropped to 8-26 with their lost season continuing.
It was another slow start for the Celtics with the Kings making shots from deep early. Even though the bench stepped up in big ways for the C’s, it was still a close game throughout most of the night. The Kings, one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, also had 12 makes on the night with buckets coming easy both ways.
But it was all Celtics in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win, outscoring the Kings 32-18. Sacramento’s offense slowed down in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 29 points and 10 rebounds, though he fouled out late. The Celtics also had seven players in double-figure scoring Thursday. DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and six assists. Former C’s guard Dennis Schroder added 18 points and seven assists off the bench.
The Celtics wrap up their five-game road trip next, facing the Clippers at 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Sacramento:
Stacking games: The Celtics had big bench contributions across the bench, led by guys like Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser and Luka Garza. Simons has played some of the best basketball of his season recently, finishing with 14 points and four assists. Hauser’s shot was on, knocking down 5-for-7 3-pointers and scoring 15 points. Luka Garza has also climbed back into the rotation, putting up 11 points and was a plus-16 in his minutes.
Hot-shooting night: While the C’s starters struggled shooting their 3-pointers, the bench came up in a big way Thursday. The starters were just 5-for-24 from beyond the arc while the reserves shot 12-for-17. Regardless, it was a great night from 3 for the Celtics, who finished 17-for-41 (41.5%). It was a balanced scoring game as the Celtics had seven different players with at least 10-plus points. The Kings went 12-for-36 (33.3%) in comparison, though they cooled significantly.
Still a starter, but: Jordan Walsh has started the last 19 games he’s been active for the Celtics. But that hasn’t necessarily meant he’s been playing a starter’s normal amount of minutes. Walsh played just five minutes Thursday as other wings stepped up in different ways. Hauser had a hot-shooting night and Hugo Gonzalez continues to impress even though he’s just a young rookie. Walsh will get his opportunities over the course of a long season, but it’s something to keep an eye on since he is still technically a starter.
Finishing the trip: The Celtics had a blip when they lost to the Trail Blazers, but otherwise, they’ve played solid basketball away from home. The C’s have now downed the Pacers, Jazz and Kings to get to 3-1 on the road trip. Only the Clippers remain, though they’ve played great ball of late. Regardless, the C’s haven’t had many let-downs even though they spent more than a week away from home. The Celtics are only two games behind the second-place 23-10 Knicks in the East standings.