Post Game - Celtics at Kings - Wednesday, December 21 (W)

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401585001

Celtics-Kings takeaways: White leads explosive C's offense in bounce-back win

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-kings-takeaways-white-leads-053726962.html

Justin Leger
Thu, Dec 21, 2023, 12:37 AM EST·5 min read




Celtics-Kings takeaways: White leads explosive C's offense in bounce-back win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Three Key Storylines

Raining 3-pointers
Derrick White building his All-Star case
Kristaps Porzingis shines in return

For the first time in over a month, the Boston Celtics have won a game on the road.

The C's bounced back from Tuesday's crushing overtime loss at Golden State with a thrilling victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, 144-119. Their blowout win snaps a four-game losing skid away from TD Garden.

The high-scoring affair -- the second-highest scoring total for the Celtics this season -- was highlighted by historic 3-point shooting from both sides. Boston and Sacramento went a combined 43-for-86 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Celtics put on a show despite missing both Jayson Tatum (ankle) and Al Horford (rest). They were led offensively by Derrick White (28 points), Jaylen Brown (28 points), Kristaps Porzingis (24 points), Jrue Holiday (21 points), and Payton Pritchard (20 points).

De'Aaron Fox paced the Kings with 29 points on his 26th birthday, 26 of those points coming in the first half.

Next, the Celtics (21-6) will head to L.A. for a showdown with the Clippers (16-10). Before we turn the page to that matchup, here are three quick takeaways from Wednesday's win.

A 3-point shootout

Both teams were scorching from 3-point range, particularly during the entertaining first half.

In the first quarter, the Celtics shot 8-for-12 from long range while the Kings went 11-for-21. Their 19 combined 3-pointers tied the NBA record for most in a single quarter.

The red-hot shooting continued at a record-setting pace in the second quarter. Boston (14-24) and Sacramento (14-30) tied the NBA record for most made 3s in a half with 28.

C's guards Derrick White (4-5 3-PT in first half) and Payton Pritchard (4-7 3-PT) and Kings star De'Aaron Fox (5-7 3-PT) were most responsible for the historic 3-point stretch. That trio combined for 18 3-point makes (six apiece) in the game.



The Celtics ended up shooting 22-for-42 (52.4 percent) on 3s while the Kings went 21-for-44 (47.7 percent). The 43 combined 3-point makes was only one shy of the NBA record.

Boston is now 19-0 this season it shoots at least 33.3 percent from long range.

Derrick White adds to All-Star case

Remember when Derrick White was snubbed from ESPN's "NBA Top 100"? That looks even more silly now than it did at the time.

I may have understated Derrick White’s place in the “NBA Top 100”. I’m sorry that I only called him a “top 50” player.

— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) December 21, 2023

At this point, White is starting to make a legitimate case for an All-Star spot. His sensational season got better on Wednesday. He exploded for 21 first-half points (16 in first quarter) while drilling five of his six 3-point attempts.

White's All-Defensive talents were also on display as he blocked three shots through the first two frames. According to Celtics stats guru Dick Lipe, it's only the fourth time in the play-by-play era that a player has made five 3-pointer and blocked three shots in a first half. He tallied four blocks on the night.



White finished with 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting (6-9 3-PT), nearly tying his career-high of 30 for the third time this month. He entered December with only one 30+ point performance in his career. His 58 points over his last two games is a career-high.

In addition to his stellar shooting and defensive performances, White shined as a playmaker. He dished seven assists, including five in the third quarter.

You can bet ESPN won't forget about White when it puts together its next Top 100 list.

Kristaps Porzingis has "Unicorn" performance

The Celtics rested Porzingis for Tuesday's game at Golden State to manage his left calf injury. The Latvian big man returned to action in Sacramento and was dominant.

Porzingis' presence was felt early when he blocked a De'Aaron Fox layup with Boston trailing by 12 in the first quarter. His block led to a Jaylen Brown dunk on a fastbreak that started a 13-0 Celtics run and swung the momentum in Boston's favor for the remainder of the night.



[My note: I agree with Scal, the Porzingis block is when the game turned around in our favor.]

There was a brief scare in the third quarter after Porzingis awkwardly landed on Kings big man Damontas Sabonis Domantas Sabonis. He appeared to tweak his ankle on the play -- similar to how Tatum injured his ankle on Tuesday -- but he stayed in the game.



Unlike Tatum, Porzingis didn't appear to be affected by his injury. He proceeded to go off for 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocks in the frame. He and Jaylen Brown combined to score 29 of Boston's 39 third-quarter points.

Porzingis finished the game with 24 points (7-11 FG), nine rebounds, and a season-high six blocks -- one shy of his career-high. The ankle situation is worth monitoring heading into Saturday's game vs. the Clippers, but he sure looked healthy as he ended up having perhaps his best game thus far as a Celtic.

From another perspective:


Celtics 144, Kings 119: No Birthday Beam in Sacramento Tonight

https://kingsherald.com/articles/celtics-144-kings-119-no-birthday-beam-in-sacramento-tonight/

De'Aaron Fox started this game with a birthday boost, but the Celtics quickly blew out his candles.

By Mirann Tsumura | 0 Comments | Dec 20, 2023




After a decisive win against the Wizards on Monday, the Kings entered the second half of their long home stand, where things only get harder. The Kings face a tough final stretch of work ahead before they are able to enjoy their holiday break. First up: the Boston Celtics, who currently hold the best record in the Eastern Conference. The basketball gods blessed some balance into this matchup, as the Kings entered on a 3-game win streak, while the Celtics came in on the second night of a back to back following an overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. Feeling the wear of working overtime last night, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford decided to sit this one out. You know who didn’t sit out? The birthday boy. De’Aaron Fox turned 26 years old today and his team looked to give him the gift of a W to celebrate. Let’s see how they did:

Quick Stats

Outcome: Kings lose, 119-144

Sacramento Kings: 119 pts, 47.3% fg, 47.7% 3 pt, 52.2% ft, 29 ast, 37 reb, 7 to

Boston Celtics: 144 pts, 55.4% fg, 52.4% 3 pt, 83.3% ft, 35vast, 50 reb, 9 to

Not only did the Kings fail to get a W, they instead got a big, fat L. It was so fun, so fast, and then so not fun, so fast. The Kings came out with a palpable electricity that fooled us into thinking this would be a bright night in Sacramento. Unfortunately, this excitement was short-lived as the Celtics proved they were the better team in just about every way on the court and quickly extinguished any hopes for a beam. Things didn’t feel great for the Kings going into the half, as they trailed by 8 points after leading by as much as 12, and things were completely off the rails by the halfway point through the third quarter.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:

First Quarter: I wish I could live life in the first quarter of this game. The Kings came out firing on all cylinders. Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox looked like they were in a friendly competition to outscore each other as they kicked things off by combining for a perfect 4-4 from the 3-point line within the first few minutes of the game. The Kings executed their best offense through the first 12 minutes, highlighted by Fox’s 17 points on 5-7 from the 3-point line. It seemed like the Kings were out for blood as they collectively finished 11-21 from deep and connected on 10 assists. The Celtics, not being the best team in the East for nothing, kept up just fine, but the Kings were able to finish the first quarter with a 3-point lead after scoring 41 points. I shall replay memories of this quarter in my mind tonight in order to get myself to sleep.

The Bad:

Third Quarter: The second quarter wasn’t great – the Kings’ shooting cooled off tremendously and the Celtics’ did not. But despite losing their lead and giving up an 11-point swing in the quarter, it wasn’t as bad as the third quarter. The third quarter was painful. Jaylen Brown (28 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (24 points) both more than doubled their scoring numbers in this period and dominated the Kings. Sacramento failed to make any defensive adjustments throughout the quarter, and Porzingis continued to take advantage of switched mismatches. On the other end, Porzingis became an impenetrable force at the rim, as he tallied 6 blocks. The Kings struggled to score at every level on the floor. Even when the Kings did earn their way to line, they ended up shooting just 3-9 for the quarter. Domantas Sabonis (13 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) found his way to the stripe, but left much to be desired there, going just 1-4. This all accumulated to a 24-39 loss of the quarter, putting the Kings at a 23-point deficit and essentially ending the game early.

The Ugly:

Lost Opportunity: The Kings had a great opportunity tonight to prove that they can compete with the best in the league. They were even given the advantages of the Celtics not having two of their starters and having to play on the road for the second night of a back to back. Granted, the Celtics were coming off of an overtime loss that likely gave them more motivation to win tonight, but the Kings failed to meet the moment, execute cleanly, and take care of business. It seemed like there was a lack of defensive strategy or focus from the jump. The Kings continually went under screens, lost track of shooters, and conceded 14 offensive rebounds to the Celtics, all of which resulted in the Celtics shooting 22-42 from the 3-point line. Derrick White essentially cancelled out the incredible shooting performance by De’Aaron Fox, as he matched Fox’s 29 points and 6 made 3s with 28 points and 6 made 3s of his own. In a game where the Kings had the chance to make a bold statement about their identity and standing in this league, they fell completely flat.

The King of Kings

The birthday boy balled out. We got to see one of the most entertaining shooting performances from De’Aaron Fox early on in this game as he scored 17 points on 5-7 from the 3-point line in the first quarter alone. It seemed like he took Keegan Murray’s 47-point career night personally and was intent on outdoing him on his birthday. This, unfortunately, didn’t happen, but Fox still added on another 3-pointer to tie his career high 3-point makes in a single game and ended with 29 points. Although there is no birthday beam, I hope Fox is still able to enjoy his day. Happy birthday, Mr. Sacramento!

Up Next

Friday, December 22nd vs. Phoenix Suns – 7:00 P.M. (PT)

[My comment: It's a bit long, but why not?]

"The Ugly" inspired me years ago to name my wallet after him.

Whenever we go out, before we leave, Mrs. gyso asks me, "Did you bring your phone?  Did you bring Eli?"

Tuco:

So they are back. But did they have to lay an egg in the one game that puts me at the receiving end of a lot of trash talk? Oh well, enjoyed the game.

OMG, Gyso. I loved that G,B,U film clip. Let me remind everyone that movie was made before the advent of CG. Those were real people charging across the battlefield. Made in Spain I believe.

Clint, what a guy. My friend Jonn was working at an exercise equipment convention in San Francisco when Clint walked in and ordered a whole array of Nautilus-type machines - and had Jonn come to his home in Carmel to install them. Clint could not have been more fun to work for, Jonn said.

The Zinger just took over the game in the third quarter on both ends. The guy is a major talent. If he can just stay healthy we are very tough to beat.

When you have so many all star caliber players you can easily compensate when one is out for a game or two. Holiday is an all star. He role is now is defensive anchor and point guard, but with Tatum out he can get you 20 as well as play a terrific all around game.

How can you not love PP. In addition to his shooting, speed and ball handling his defense is solid. He continues to improve.

Jaylen continues to dominant. This is a very impressive run he is on, and he even went 6-7 from the line.

Then of course, my man D White. So smooth, just does everything quietly well. Deserves so much credit.

I heard the bus ride was as silent as the grave.

The Celtics knew that they left money on the table in Frisco and there was nothing more to be said.

Give the team what it needs.  

This one was a full blown shootout.

With 5 Celtics players scoring 20 or more points, it is damn near impossible to pick a player of the game.  If KP wasn't scoring and shutting down Sabonis there was PP draining 6-11 from behind the arc.  Maybe Jrue Holiday's contribution (2 rebounds shy of a triple double qualifies)  stands out the most.  How bout our not 100 best player D White? An argument could easily be made that JB was the scariest guy on the court for the Kings to contend with.  No player wants to be posterized.  His dunks are the most decisive shots during a game.  They are A+ Alpha demonstrative expressions of dominance.

JB is clearly in a transformative state to become a more complete basketball player.  

As the camera showed a very quiet JT on the bench, I could not help but wonder what he was thinking as he watched his teammates smoke the Kings like so many slabs of baby back ribs.  

JT is an immensely talented basketball player.  As a big fan of his overall game, I am still waiting for him to realize what he does well and what he does not do well.  He is a poor shooter on pullups.  Good luck searching for redemption on a poor shooting night by taking another contested deep pull up.  

Now I will go back to my California dreamin'  The Clips and Lakers await.

Here's what I saw last night:

1.  KP Grit.  Yeah, that injury he absorbed is still out for the potential longer term effect(s), but he showed us all that he's got lots of grit playing that way.  He's about as tired of all the injury prone talk as we are hearing about it and witnessing it.  Way to make a statement, KP!

2.  SAC Completely Dismantled.  They are learning our lesson(s) from last season about what happens against stiff competition or getting hit with something unexpected (zone defense, for example).  SAC's wheels came off somewhere in that 2nd quarter.  Not ready for primetime is what I hear blaring over the loudspeakers in SAC.  

3.  Mike Brown could have used some of CJ's saved TO's from last season in this game.  They had one left with 6 minutes left in the 3rd and he used his throw in the towel last one with 8:18 left in the 4th.  It was like trying to stop a boulder rolling down hill.  I love Mike Brown and wish him the best, but management and ownership need to get them some defense.  Otherwise this is going to be a repeat of those 90's SAC teams I like to pick on...All 3's on Offense and no Defense.  This script has been written before.  Might as well forfeit their scheduled first round appearance.  3's don't work in the playoffs like they do in the regular season.  

4.  JB comin' in HOT!  Dang!  Can't add anything but DANG!!  Plus....

5.  Brown burning Fox.  Man vs. Child.  That was classic.  Have seat with all your fouls and get your pen and pencil out for notetaking.  

6.  Hard to lose a game with 5 starters at 20+ points.  Yeah, dboss.  Something was said on that bus ride!!

7.  I've mentioned this before, but DW and JH our typically our 4th and 5th scoring options.  JH with a sniff of a 3D.  Nuff said.

Now on to the proverbial Clash Of The Titans Saturday Night.  Let's hope it's a brawl and we don't resort back to GSW game antics.  LAC are starting to look scary.  Make no mistake.  This is a statement game for us.  Although we don't have to win this game on the road, the implications for the team that emerges victorious are HUGE!

db

P.S. Also, Lakers SUCK!!

Queta is starting to make a case for himself. He may be sticking around.

Agree about Queta. He needs to cut down on fouls, but he's strong , nimble, and a little bit creative, offensively, around the rim.

bobheckler wrote:5 Celtics scored 20+ points in the blowout over the Kings (Jaylen, DWhite, Jrue, Z and Crypto-P).

This is the first time we've done that since 1987 and only the 5th time in Celtic franchise history.  In 1987 Bird, McHale, Ainge, Parish and DJ all scored 20+ points in a win over the then New Jersey Nets.

But this team did it without two of their top 6 players, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.


Bob


.

I guess the Celtics offensive depth is legit. The 2 guys that really impact our offense is SH and PP. We all know that Sam is a tremendous 3 point shooter and PP had struggled to make his open looks. His 9 December games has completely erased any shooting issues that he was having. Consider his 21/43 for .49% deep shooting and its' impact on the team. PP is smoking hot and what separates him from Hauser is the fact that PP is a great ball handler and is able to create shots off the bounce by creating space. Hauser is a catch and shoot player. When both of those guys are clicking in a game, the Celtics are really impressive on offense. If Sam does not manage to shoot a dreadful 0-6 from deep, 0-7 overall, we would have beaten GS.