Preview: Kings open up four-game home stand against Celtics as clinch day nears

Mar 21, 2023, 9:36 AM | Updated: 2:09 pm

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 25: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics defends Domantas Sabonis ...

(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

The Sacramento Kings won’t have much time to dwell on Monday’s disappointing loss to the Utah Jazz, as they will be back in action tonight at Golden 1 Center against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

Sacramento (43-28) will begin a four-game home stand against the Celtics as they close in on clinching its first playoff berth in over 16 years.

The Kings’ magic number is four, meaning that any combination of wins by Sacramento and losses by the seventh-seed spot in the Western Conference standings will move that number closer to zero.

If the Kings want to shrink its magic number on Tuesday, they will have to defeat a Boston team that enters play seeking its 50th win of the season.

The Celtics (49-23) have been going through a rough stretch of play that has seen them lose five of their past nine games, but they will look to get back on track against a travel-ridden Sacramento team that will be playing its fifth game over the past seven days.

With the playoffs on the horizon, the Kings will have another tall task ahead of them as they will attempt to defeat the Celtics for the first time since March 19, 2021.

With Kevin Huerter out, I wanted to see Keegan Murray take on an expanded role on the offensive end.

Over the past two games, he's done that and more.

22 PTS | 6 REB | 8/16 FG | 6/14 3PT | 1 STL | 1 BLK

19 PTS | 5 REB | 7/15 FG | 5/10 3PT | 2 STL | 1 BLK pic.twitter.com/gkn1AHzDEp

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 21, 2023

Sacramento Kings vs. Boston Celtics Game Info

When: 7:00 PM PST

Where: Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night

Line: Celtics -5, O/U: 239

Tickets: Click Here

Slow Down One of The J’s

The Boston Celtics are a juggernaut for many reasons, but none more significant than the impact of its two superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Sure, the two All-Stars give most opposing teams headaches when both are locked in, but the Tatum-Brown combo has been an absolute nightmare for the Sacramento King’s defense over the past two seasons.

Sacramento has lost three-straight games to Boston dating back to January 2022, with the two stars posting massive stat lines in all three victories:

January 25, 2022: Celtics 128, Kings 75 (Tatum: 36 points, Brown: 30 points)
March 18, 2022: Celtics 126, Kings 97 (Tatum: 32 points, Brown: 30 points)
November 25, 2022: Celtics 122, Kings 104 (Tatum: 30 points, Brown 25 points)

Tatum and Brown have combined for an average of 61 points per game against the Kings during the past three matchups, with Sacramento losing by 33.3 points per game.

We all know of this Kings team’s defensive struggles, and Tuesday will be a massive test–especially with the NBA Playoffs just three weeks away. Can Sacramento put an end to Tatum and Brown’s dominance?

If the Kings can slow even one of the stars down on the offensive end, it will improve their chances of snapping the three-game skid to Boston.

In the last two games that Sacramento held one or both of Tatum and Brown to less than 25 points, they came away with wins.

Tatum hasn’t looked like himself over the past four games, averaging 23.3 points per game on 34 percent shooting from the field and 18 percent from three-point land, but a matchup against Sacramento’s 26th-ranked defense could be just what the doctor ordered.

The Celtics do a majority of its damage on the perimeter, as they enter play averaging 15.9 made three-point field goals per game (second in the NBA). Tatum and Brown combine for 5.8 made three-point field goals per game, meaning that the Kings will know where to place a majority of its focus on the defensive end.

Boston ranks near the bottom of the league in points per game (25th), meaning that Sacramento will want to pay extra close attention to Tatum and Brown when they have the ball above the three-point stripe.

Don’t Force It

During Sacramento’s loss to Utah on Monday, the offense was pressing early in the game.

While the Jazz were on a run that extended its lead past the 20-point mark in the first quarter, the Kings continued to chuck three-point attempts earlier in the shot clock and pass up on running offense sets.

After going two-for-12 (16%) from deep during the first, Sacramento soldiered on from beyond the arc by finishing the night with a franchise-record 52 attempts from three.

While the Kings converted 19 of those attempts (36%), they lived and died by the three, which cost them late in the game as Sacramento matched its first-quarter performance by going two-for-12 during the fourth quarter as well.

Utah had shot-blocking big Walker Kessler lurking in the paint, and Domantas Sabonis had an uncharacteristic night from the field (11 points on 4/11 shooting), but the Kings could have mixed things up by attacking the paint more and challenging Kessler to stay out of foul trouble.

Boston enters play on Tuesday holding top-ten spots in points in the paint defense and three-point defense, meaning that Sacramento will need to be actively searching for a weak-spot in the Celtics’ stingy defense.

If the long-balls aren’t falling early, Sabonis and the Kings should look the attack the paint as Celtics big man Robert Williams will be making his return after an eight-game absence. Boston will also get veteran center Al Horford back against Sacramento after missing one game due to back soreness.

Challenging Williams and Horford in the paint will be something to watch on Tuesday, as Sabonis posted a monster line of 30 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists against the Celtics last March and 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists during the only meeting between the teams this season that took place on November 25th.

Injury Report

Sacramento

Kevin Huerter – QUESTIONABLE (right Popliteus strain)

Boston

Danilo Gallinari – OUT (left knee ACL repair)
Payton Pritchard – OUT (left heel pain)
Mfiondu Kabengele – OUT (G-League)

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Celtics coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from Golden 1 Center.