The Sacramento Kings (17-24) visited the Boston Celtics (20-21) for Friday night’s matchup. The Kings below the .500 win percentage were able to pull out a win against the Celtics. Before this matchup, the Kings had lost the last 13 games against the Celtics at TD Garden. The Celtics have now lost to the Kings at home for the first time since January 19, 2007. The final score in Friday night’s matchup was 107-96.
Kings Have an Energetic First Half
In the first half of Friday night’s game, the Kings came out strong. Their energy was on top, leaving the Celtics trailing by 10 points at the end of the half. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings were up by 6 points (28-22). Leading in stats at the end of the first were also the Kings. They shot 54% from the field, 4/7 from the three-point with 8 assists. The Celtics were shooting 41% from the field, 4/9 from the three-point with only 3 assists. Following the first quarter, the Kings continued to hold the lead at the end of the second quarter up by 10 points (55-45).
The Kings lead by as many as 15 points in the first half, outshooting the Celtics 48.8% to 37.5%. Helping contribute to these leads on Friday night were leading scorers De’Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes. Fox is currently ranked No. 3 in the league for most points on drives. He ended with 29 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. Along with Fox was Holmes, who also had a great game. Holmes ended with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Celtics Try for a Comeback in the Second Half
The Celtics started putting more points on the board in the second half. In the third quarter alone, the Celtics scored 36 points. In the fourth quarter, they put up 15 points. At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics were trailing by just one point (82-81). Despite the Celtics making a close comeback, they were unable to win, now on a 3-game losing streak. The Kings outscored the Celtics 17-5 in the final 4 minutes. The Celtics took a short lead (91-90) in the fourth quarter but eventually trailed again. The Celtics now fall to 1-4 since after the All-Star break. This loss puts the Celtics under the .500 win percentage.
During this matchup, some of the Celtics’ top scorers were Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, and Jayson Tatum. Brown ended his night with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. Walker, who has averaged 17.9 points and 4.5 assists this season, had a good game. He ended with 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists. Brown, who averages 25.3 points per game, had a slow night. He ended with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. The Celtics are now 6-9 in the Western Conference.
Up Next
The Celtics are looking to end this losing streak when they host the Orlando Magic on Sunday, March 21st at 3:30 pm. The Magic ranked No. 14 have a record of (13-27).
The Kings continue their road trip to go up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, March 20th at 8:00 pm. The 76ers ranked No. 1 in the Eastern Conference have a record (28-13).
 visited the Celtics (20-21) for Friday night’s matchup and were able to pull out a win against the home team.){kind=link}