Coming off certainly one of their most lopsided defeats of the season, the Celtics capitalized on a really perfect get-right alternative Friday evening.
Boston pummeled a shorthanded, lottery-bound Sacramento Kings squad, 112-93, at TD Backyard.
With Jaylen Brown sitting out with hamstring and knee accidents, Payton Pritchard spearheaded Boston’s offense, scoring 22 of his 29 factors within the first half and including eight assists. Neemias Queta shot 4-for-11 however totaled 10 factors, 15 rebounds, three steals and one block in his return from a lingering sickness.
Baylor Scheierman, making his fourth begin of the season in Brown’s absence, completed with 16 factors on 6-of-10 capturing (4-for-7 from 3-point vary) and 5 rebounds.
The Celtics — who misplaced by double digits at dwelling Wednesday for the primary time since Nov. 1, 117-106 to the Atlanta Hawks — improved to 30-18 with the win.
The 12-38 Kings had been taking part in with out three of their high gamers (Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Russell Westbrook) on the second evening of a back-to-back. They’ve misplaced eight straight and 15 of their final 19.
Boston will host one other scuffling opponent Sunday afternoon when the 18-28 Milwaukee Bucks go to Causeway Avenue with out their injured famous person, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Celtics sprinted out to an 11-1 lead, prompting Kings head coach Doug Christie to name his first timeout lower than two minutes after tipoff. Queta, who returned after lacking Wednesday’s recreation, opened the scoring with back-to-back lob finishes, then fed Pritchard for a driving layup.
Queta scored or assisted on 5 of Boston’s first seven made baskets throughout a formidable opening shift.
“I feel I recovered fairly nicely,” stated Queta, who got here down along with his sickness late final week. “The final couple video games, it was a bit bit laborious to go on the market and simply attempt to assist the group. So getting these final couple of days off simply to get well and get again to full energy, that was enormous for me. I felt good on the market.”
The 26-year-old was each wholesome and motivated coming into Friday’s matchup. The Kings drafted Queta in 2021, then minimize him two years later. He stated he “undoubtedly” will get up for Boston’s biannual matchups towards his former group.
“Actually, I really feel prefer it was a type of issues I can’t management, however after all I’m not pleased about it,” he stated. “Simply attempting to make use of it as further motivation to only go on the market and simply carry on being the very best model of myself.”
The primary quarter was an offensive bonanza for the Celtics. They outscored the Kings 40-25 by going 5-for-10 from 3-point vary — with makes by 5 completely different gamers — 11-for-12 within the paint and 7-for-7 contained in the restricted space. Pritchard scored 11 within the interval on 5-of-5 capturing, and White capped it with a buzzer-beating floater.
Sacramento responded with a 10-2 run to open the second quarter, and the Celtics’ perimeter capturing effectivity dipped for a spell. However they made up for it with sturdy offensive rebounding, significantly by backup huge man Luka Garza. Garza grabbed three offensive boards and scored off all three as a part of a nine-point first half. Hugo Gonzalez additionally corralled a free ball to arrange a second-chance 3-pointer by Pritchard.
It was certainly one of 4 threes Pritchard hit throughout a sensational first half. The Celtics guard additionally picked the Kings aside inside, going 9-for-11 from the sphere to enter halftime with 22 factors and eight assists. His banked-in 11-footer made it 72-46 on the break, closing out a 25-6 Celtics run.
“I simply did a very good job of constructing the suitable reads, attending to my spots, studying the driving lanes,” Pritchard stated. “I believed I made good passing reads. Nearly like, like a QB, you understand — you’re all the time simply making the suitable learn to take what the protection provides you. So I believed I did a excessive stage tonight within the first half.”
Crew-wide, Boston shot a exceptional 85% on 2-pointers earlier than halftime (17-for-20) and didn’t miss any of its makes an attempt on the rim (11-for-11). On the different finish, their protection held the Kings to only one make contained in the restricted space and 33.3% capturing from 2-point vary. Sacramento was even shakier from three, going 5-for-17 (29.4%) earlier than half.
Scheierman helped Boston pad its lead within the third quarter with two 3-pointers sandwiched round a sequence of hustle performs. The gritty wing threw a rebound off a Kings participant to provide the Celtics possession, picked off a Dennis Schroder cross and gathered an offensive rebound after his personal missed three. His fourth trey of the sport put Boston up 80-52 halfway by means of the third.
Although he’s acquired much less consideration than fellow depth wings Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh, Scheierman has seen motion in 35 of the Celtics’ final 36 video games, establishing himself as a useful rotation participant in his second professional season.
“He’s developed right into a utility man for us defensively the place he can defend completely different matchups,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “He’s made some performs. He attracts some unlawful screens for us. He could make defensive performs, however he is aware of find out how to play versus cross-matches on the different finish. He’s been making some pictures, and he offensive rebounds. So I’m happy with right here he’s grown defensively for us.”
Boston scored simply 17 factors within the third quarter and 23 within the fourth, however their lead by no means dropped beneath 16 throughout a largely uneventful second half.
Different observations:
— With the Celtics up huge within the closing minutes, Mazzulla gave Chris Boucher his first taking part in time since earlier than Thanksgiving. The reserve huge man has been out of the rotation since Nov. 23, remaining on the bench even in blowouts till Friday’s cameo.
Regardless of his group’s snug lead, Boucher closed the sport with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. That shot visibly aggravated Westbrook, who was in road garments on Sacramento’s bench. The 2 veterans had phrases after the ultimate horn, however their dialog appeared to finish amicably.
Wing Josh Minott, who’s appeared in simply three video games since late December, additionally subbed in late.
— A handful of Patriots gamers had been in attendance forward of their journey to Santa Clara, Calif., for Tremendous Bowl LX. All acquired rousing ovations, with the loudest reserved for Professional Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, whose AFC Championship interception was proven on the Jumbotron. Former New England security Patrick Chung additionally watched the sport from courtside seats.
