What to Know
- Jayson Tatum steered Boston from the get-go, but couldn't finish the game after rolling his ankle on a late closeout by Domantas Sabonis.
- Payton Pritchard and the bench played a key role in Joe Mazzulla's eight-man rotation.
- Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday each had quiet games, but got help from elsewhere.
- New soon-to-be majority owner William Chisholm was in attendance in Sacramento.
The Boston Celtics are lighting the beam.
Boston on Monday got its revenge on the Sacramento Kings, winning in a 113-95 road rout after its 114-97 home loss on January 10.
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Sacramento led by as much as nine points midway through the first quarter, with Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis getting off to fast starts in the absence of Malik Monk (illness). But Jayson Tatum did Jayson Tatum things to pull it back, logging 11 points and five assists, including one that set up Payton Pritchard's buzzer-beating triple that gave Boston a 30-29 lead after one.
After a heavy back-and-forth second 12 minutes, Boston eventually extended its lead to five at 56-51 thanks to a mini late push. Tatum still led the Celtics with 17 points and six assists on 4-for-7 3-point shooting, while Pritchard's 14 points off the bench was more than any King at that point.
Boston then pushed its lead to 14 late in the third quarter following a Kristaps Porzingis 3-pointer, but maintained an 88-78 advantage going into the final 12 minutes. Tatum increased his point total to 25 despite suffering an ankle injury on a late closeout by Domantas Sabonis, while Porzingis got up to 14 points.
The Celtics simply saw out the game in the fourth, with Sacramento putting up little resistance with 17 points in the quarter. Baylor Scheierman got in on the action in a big game for the bench.
With the Phoenix Suns next on Wednesday, here are three takeaways from the Celtics' win over the Kings:
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Jayson Tatum stars prior to ankle injury
This game was all about Tatum for the majority of the first three quarters. Tatum posted a game-high 25 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds on 8-for-15 shooting overall and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. He uncharacteristically went just 4 of 8 from the foul line.
Tatum also showed off a unique one-legged pull-up three in the early stages, which set the tone for his nice output.
However, Tatum had to leave the game in the second half after suffering an ankle injury. Tatum stepped into a triple over Sabonis, but didn't get any room to land and suffered the injury. He managed to attempt his free throws before being helped to the bench.
Sabonis was issued a Flagrant 1 foul after a review.
Payton Pritchard leads strong bench effort
The Celtics received a significant lift from its bench that helped Tatum and Co. build a cushion against Sacramento. Pritchard was the catalyst as he continued his hot end to the month of March, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal on 8 of 18 shooting overall, including a 5 of 13 clip from distance.
Luke Kornet put in a robust shift, too, ending with 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting overall to go with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block in 26 minutes, which included heavy playing time in the fourth.
Even Scheierman did his part with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from deep, adding seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in 28 minutes.
Sacramento's bench could not keep pace, with Markelle Fultz's eight points in 11 minutes leading the way. Jonas Valanciunas was held to just four points in 13 minutes, while Jake LaRavia mustered only two in 17.
Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday stay quiet
Despite the score advantage, the Celtics didn't get much production from two of their stars. Brown had just nine points in 26 minutes, though he went 4 of 5 from the floor. He also added two rebounds and a steal, but the former Finals MVP could've offered more in what's been a slow back half of March from a statistical perspective.
Holiday tried to deal damage offensively, but fared much better on the other end. He shot 2 of 11 from the field for just five points, while adding three assists, one rebound and a block in 31 minutes.