Sacramento, Calif. — The Boston Celtics closed with authority on Thursday night, turning a tight game into a 120–106 road win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
Jaylen Brown powered Boston with 29 points and 10 rebounds, continuing a strong run of form as he has reached 20-plus points in 12 of his last 15 games. Brown battled from long range (1-for-9 from three) but stayed aggressive, made his free throws, and added four assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Boston improved to 21–12 and moved to 3–1 on its five-game road trip. Derrick White delivered a steady two-way night with 16 points and seven assists, while Payton Pritchard added 16 points and six assists. Sam Hauser provided a perimeter lift, knocking down five 3-pointers on his way to 15 points. Anfernee Simons contributed 14 points off the bench.
Fourth-quarter run decides it
The game turned early in the fourth. White’s tiebreaking three-pointer put Boston in front for good, 93–90 with 10:45 remaining. Sacramento kept coming and cut the margin to 104–100 with 6:30 left, but the Celtics answered with their sharpest stretch of execution.
Brown converted a three-point play and White followed with another three as Boston ripped off an 11–2 burst. Brown scored six points and White added five during the run, pushing the lead to 115–102 with 2:50 to play and effectively sealing it.
Kings control stretches, but fade late
Sacramento carried much of the first-half rhythm, even with Boston connecting on 10 three-pointers before the break. Precious Achiuwa scored eight points in the first quarter as the Kings erased an early eight-point deficit and edged ahead 29–28 after one.
The Kings led 61–56 late in the second, but Boston closed the half with a 6–0 spurt, highlighted by two Brown layups. After the Celtics built an eight-point cushion early in the third, Sacramento responded with its best push of the night, briefly taking a four-point lead before the teams entered the fourth tied 88–88.
DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 25 points. Dennis Schroder added 18 and Keon Ellis scored 16. The Kings fell to 8–26, continuing a difficult stretch with four losses in five games and nine losses in 11.
Game info
- Venue: Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA)
- Attendance: 17,832
- Final score: Celtics 120, Kings 106
- Officials: Bill Kennedy, Kevin Cutler, Simone Jelks
Up next
- Celtics: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
- Kings: Face the Suns in Phoenix on Friday.
