Just over halfway through the season, the Kings are already in the midst of their third losing streak of at least seven games. On the bright side, the Kings currently are tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst record in the NBA, so yay?
Who: Sacramento Kings (12-37) vs. Boston Celtics (29-18)
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
When: 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
The Kings nearly broke their losing streak last night with a spirited effort in Philadelphia, but Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid proved too tough to handle at the end. Now the Kings are playing the second night of a back-to-back in Boston, which doesn’t bode well for their chances at ending this streak. The Celtics have done a good job of staying competitive (currently tied for second in the East) despite the absence of Jayson Tatum this season. Jaylen Brown is having a career-year, averaging 29.4 points as Boston sports the second best offense in the NBA, but Brown is listed as out for tonight’s game as he’s dealing with a hamstring injury.
The Kings were without Malik Monk (Ankle) and Russell Westbrook (Illness) yesterday against Philadelphia, but it looks like Malik might be available tonight. On the other hand, the Kings are sitting Domantas Sabonis to rest his knee. The Kings are still without Keegan Murray as well as he is recovering from an ankle sprain, but we are coming up on the 4th week of his supposed 3-4 week absence.
Boston is still one of the best and most frequent shooting three point teams in the NBA, ranking 2nd in both makes and attempts for the season. The Kings meanwhile are last in both categories. Without Brown, the Celtics will likely rely more on Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons. Even without Brown, I’d still be surprised to see the Kings pull this one out on the road in a tough environment like Boston.
Prediction: Kings 95, Celtics 123