The Sacramento Kings got blown out one more time in 2025-2026, this time by the Boston Celtics. While many rookies had solid games, [Sacramento's veterans had a tough go of it](https://aroyalpain.com/overdue-kings-rebuild-coming-fans-will-be-shocked-by-who-block). That was a surprise since the vets' performances are usually at least somewhat reliable most of the time.
After last season, the Celtics had to take their championship team apart to deal with the penalty aprons. Making matters worse was the fact that Jayson Tatum was injured in the 2025 Playoffs, which has kept him off the court for the entire 2025-2026 season so far.
Regardless, Boston has played some great basketball this season and currently has a record of 30 and 18. That makes them third in the Eastern Conference. As such, there wasn't much hope for the Kings to beat them, even with Jaylen Brown also injured and on the bench.
Sacramento lost by nearly 20 points, which was actually an improvement over how far they were behind at halftime. A big reason for that loss was the subpar performances from the various NBA veterans on the team, many of whom simply didn't seem to play [like their hearts were in the game](https://aroyalpain.com/kings-rebuild-has-already-begun-with-their-rookie-core-center).
It was a tough game for many Kings
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One of the strangest performances for Sacramento in the game was DeMar DeRozan. The mid-range master is usually good for a season average of 19 points per game. Last night, he scored six points on two of 10 shots from the field and zero of two from the three-point line.
Dennis Schroder also had a surprisingly rough evening. He finished with four points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. His shooting was legendarily bad, going one for 11 from the field, which included missing all four of the three-point shots he attempted.
Additionally, Precious Achiuwa also had a tough night as he had two points and three rebounds. To be fair, he did only play 13+ minutes and had low usage on the court. Making matters worse was the fact that veterans Russell Westbrook and Domantas Sabonis were both out, as well.
Really, the only veteran who came to play against the Celtics was Zach LaVine. He scored a team high 17 points on five of nine shooting from the field. Oddly enough, his efficiency did improve from his last performance. Regardless, the Celtics game proved why some of these guys have to get traded.