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Boston Celtics (20-12) at Sacramento Kings (8-25)
Thursday, January 1, 2026
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #33, Road Game #18
TV: NBCSB, NBCSCA, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1140 AM, Sirius XM
Golden 1 Center
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Payton Pritchard
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jordan Walsh
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Chris Boucher (personal) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Kings StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Keegan Murray
PF: Precious Achiuwa
C : Maxime Reynaud
Kings Reserves Devin Carter
Nique Clifford
Keon Ellis
Drew Eubanks
Doug McDermott
Malik Monk
Dario Saric
Dennis Schroder
2-Way Players Dylan Cardwell
Daeqwon Plowden
Isaiah Stevens
Injuries/Out Zach LaVine (ankle) doubtful
Domantas Sabonis (knee) out
Head Coach Doug Christie
Game Notes The Celtics play their 4th game of a 5 game road trip as they visit the Sacramento Kings. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play the 2nd, and final, game in Boston on January 30. They split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are 193-120 overall all time against the Kings and 71-75 in games played in Sacramento. The Kings are playing in the first of back to back games and will play at Phoenix on Friday.
The Kings have made a few moves since last season. They traded Jonas Valanciunas to Denver for Dario Saric in what is likely a salary move. They lost Jake LaRavia as a free agent to the Lakers. They signed Drew Eubanks, Dennis Schroder, Precious Achiuwa, and Russell Westbrook as free agents. They drafted Nique Clifford with the 24th pick in the 2025 draft that they acquired from OKC for a 2027 protected first round pick. They also drafted Maxime Raynaud with the 42nd pick.
he Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and 3 games behind 2nd place New York. They are 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2 games ahead of 5th place Orlando and 2.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 5-4 against Western Conference opponents. They are 10-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Kings are 14th in the West, 20 games behind 1st place Oklahoma City, 12.5 games behind 6th place Minnesota, 6 games behind 10th place Portland, 5 games behind 11th place Utah, 4 games behind 12th place Dallas, and the 13th place Clippers. They are half a game ahead of 15h place New Orleans. They are 2-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 5-10 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.
This is the 4th game of a 5 game road trip. They started the trip with a win in Indiana and then lost in Portland and then beat the Jazz. They will conclude their trip with a visit to the LA Clippers. All 5 teams on this road trip are below .500. After the trip, they will head home for a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and the final game at Detroit.
The Kings complete a back to back set at Phoenix on Friday. After that, they host Milwaukee and Dallas before a game at Golden State. They then have a 7 game home stand where they host Houston, the Lakers, New York, Washington, Portland, Miami and Toronto. They then head out on a 6 game road trip through Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington.
Jayson Tatum remains out as he rehabs the Achilles he tore in last year's playoffs. Chris Boucher, who missed the last 2 games for personal reasons, is listed as questionable for this game. Zach LaVine will miss his seventh straight game due to a left ankle sprain. Domantas Sabonis has been rehabbing from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee that he sustained in mid-November and will miss this game.
Key Matchups vs
Payton Pritchard vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is averaging 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.1% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists. DeRozan especially needs to be defended for mid-range shots where he excels.
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Keegan Murray
Murray is averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 26.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career, he has averaged 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Russell Westbrook
Westbrook is averaging 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Over his career, he has averaged 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is still a threat for a triple double every game and is a very good rebounding guard.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the key to winning every game. The Kings have a defensive rating of 119.5 (28th). The Celtics defensive rating is 114.3, 15th in the league. The Celtics need to defend the paint as the Kings average 49 points in the paint per game. The Kings average 30.5 three pointers attempted per game, which is 29th in the league and they are last with 10.6 3 pointers made per game. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and commit to playing tough lock down defense for 48 minutes, regardless of the opponent's statistics.
Rebound - The Celtics have to put out extra effort to grab the rebounds on both ends of the court. By doing so, they limit the second chance points and fast breaks for the Kings and also give themselves extra possessions. The Celtics are averaging 43.9 rebounds per game to 41.0 rebounds per game for the Kings. The Kings average 14.0 second chance points per game and extra effort from the Celtics can limit those. The Kings are missing their best rebounder (Sabonis) but that doesn't mean the Celtics can relax on the boards.
Don't Underestimate - For the 4rd straight game, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500. It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Kings and expect an easy win against an 8 win team. That would be a mistake because this Kings team has beaten Denver, Minnesota, Miami and Houston so they aren't an easy team to beat if you don't bring the effort. The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Kings are very capable of beating them if they don't play their best.
To 3 or Not to 3 - The Celtics are 3rd in the league, attempting 42.9 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren't falling, the Celtics struggle. Against the Jazz, the Celtics shot just 29.5% on threes but drove more and shot midrange shots in the 4th. If the Celtics aren't hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B.
X-Factors Fatigue on the Road - This is the 4th game of a 5 game road trip. The Celtics have had to travel across the country and across 3 time zones. Fatigue could come into play for them. Also they need to ignore the distractions of travel, an unfamiliar arena and a hostile crowd and concentrate on playing together, playing hard, and playing the right way.
Officiating - Officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew will call the game differently. Some will call every little thing and the game will have no flow. Others will let a lot go and let them play. Some crews favor the home team while others call it evenly or have a personal agenda. The Celtics need to adjust to how the game is called and not let the officials mess with their focus.
Topic: Celtics (20-12) at Kings (8-25) Game #33 1/1/26 (Read 160 times)