The Boston Celtics regained full strength in their starting lineup as they visited the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Monday night.
Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday rejoined Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, as the Celtics rode their five-game winning streak into Sacramento. The Kings, who lost their last two but stunned the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers before doing so, became Boston’s next stepping stone in extending its momentum.
This time, however, the Celtics encountered their first major injury scare of the season. Jayson Tatum made an early exit to the locker room after suffering a left ankle sprain in the third quarter, which resulted in Kings forward Domantas Sabonis racking up a Flagrant 1 foul. From there, Boston was left to fend off Sacramento without its leading scorer and did so successfully to notch a sixth consecutive win.
Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s 113-95 win over Sacramento, which improved the team’s record to 53-19 this season:
STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Even though Tatum made an unforeseen exit in the third quarter, the 27-year-old gave the Celtics enough to finish the job.
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Tatum scored 25 points with seven rebounds and eight assists, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. He managed to walk over to the free-throw line and off the floor before being ruled doubtful to return. Tatum logged a plus-13 rating across 26 minutes, but all eyes will be directed on how the ankle sprain will impact him — and the team overall — moving forward.
Payton Pritchard
There was an obvious need for a boost in the wake of Tatum’s third-quarter exit, and that’s where Pritchard came in.
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Pritchard supplied 22 points off the bench, outscoring Sacramento’s bench (18 points) all by himself. The undersized guard also grabbed five rebounds, connected on five 3-point attempts and ensured Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla would have just enough depth to keep the Kings at bay, even without Tatum’s assistance.
DeMar DeRozan
Sacramento’s semi-convincing bid at defeating the reigning champions was led by DeRozan, the six-time All-Star.
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DeRozan recorded a double-double, finishing with a team-leading 20 points and 10 assists, which made up for his 9-of-24 shooting from the floor. The 35-year-old also limited his turnover total to one, giving the Kings an efficient, All-Star caliber 38 minutes — the most of anyone who took the floor for either team.
DUDS
Jrue Holiday
It’s been a rough offensive season for Holiday and that remained the case in Sacramento. Holiday shot a subpar 2-of-11 from the field and provided just five points. He went 1-of-5 from three and logged three assists, but Holiday’s rebound total was a measly one. Holiday connected on the fewest shot attempts out of any Celtics player who spent over a minute on the floor on Monday night.
Jaylen Brown
Brown didn’t shine, even when the opportunity presented itself.
He pitched in with an uncharacteristic nine-point output against the Kings, shooting 4-of-8 with two rebounds and one steal. Granted, Brown had been out since March 15 with a knee injury, but the Celtics needed much more than what their reigning NBA Finals MVP mustered up.
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Celtics (maybe?)
The extent of Tatum’s injury, reminiscent of the controversial Kawhi Leonard ankle injury in the 2017 Western Conference finals, should leave Celtics fans going to sleep with their fingers crossed.
Boston can’t manage to lose Tatum for an extended period of time, now with 11 games left in the regular season. Tatum’s presence was the most pivotal in drawing defensive attention and helping teammates get involved and shine during last year’s playoffs en route to the 2024 Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Tatum also injured the same ankle in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat two years ago.
