SACRAMENTO -- Back to normalcy. After a wild evening Thursday in Sacramento, the Kings host the Boston Celtics for a Sunday matinee game looking to make it two wins in a row.
Protesters surrounded Golden 1 Center on Thursday, blocking approximately 15,000 Kings fans from attending the team’s win over the Atlanta Hawks. Justin Jackson scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, but his big night was overshadowed by the events outside the arena.
Boston is looking for their 50th win of the season and they might have some reinforcements. Jaylen Brown is hoping to return after missing a stretch due to a concussion. But leading scorer Kyrie Irving is out 3-6 weeks after undergoing a procedure to alleviate soreness in his knee.
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Celtics by 6.5
MATCHUP TO WATCH
De’Aaron Fox vs. Terry Rozier -- With Irving out, Rozier is the man at the point for the Celtics. The third-year guard out of Louisville has posted 21 straight games off Boston’s bench and he’s averaging 15 points and 4.5 assists over his last four starts. Fox is coming off a sub-par performance against the Hawks, but he’s impressed during his rookie season. The 20-year-old scored just four points on 1-of-11 shooting against Atlanta and is need of a bounce back game.
WHERE THEY STAND
Kings: 24-49, fourth place in Pacific
Celtics: 49-23, first place in Atlantic
NBA
INJURY REPORT
Kings: SG/SF Garrett Temple (left ankle sprain) out, Iman Shumpert (knee rehab/plantar fasciitis) out, PF Harry Giles (bilateral knee rehab) out for the season.
Celtics: SG Jaylen Brown (concussion) questionable, SF Gordon Hayward (ankle) out for season, F Marcus Smart (thumb) out, PG Kyrie Irving (knee) out, C Daniel Theis (knee) out.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
Rookie Watch -- Jayson Tatum has had a solid rookie season for Boston. He’s started all 82 games for a 49 win team and he’s posting 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and shooting 42.9 percent from long range. He’s a tough matchup size-wise for Sacramento and could be in for a big night.
Where’s Willie? -- Willie Cauley-Stein has disappeared over the last two weeks. The Kings starting center has scored in double figures just once in his last six games and he’s coming off a two-point, 6-rebound performance against Atlanta. He’s been hit with a couple of injuries since the break, but the third-year big needs to finish strong.
Backed in a Corner -- The Kings are 6-6 over their last 12 games and they are finishing the season strong. They’ll faced a beat up Celtics team missing their star and a few other rotational pieces. Boston is well coached and will be ready to fight, despite their injury woes.
SERIES HISTORY
The Celtics hammered the Kings 113-86 in the first and only meeting between these two teams this season. Boston holds a 182-118 all-time lead over the Kings and a 37-26 advantage during the Sacramento-era.