Celtics Have Already Matched Unfortunate Loss Total From Last Season

The Boston Celtics took a stunning home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, after closing out an impressive four-game Western Conference road trip with Boston taking home three out of the four matchups.

Although the Kings are on a winning streak, Boston seemed unprepared for the matchup following the previous win against recent NBA champions Denver Nuggets. 

Despite Boston having an incredibly rough shooting night, having only connected on 11 of 41 threes, the game was competitive for the first three quarters. Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis led the way in the first quarter scoring the team’s first 18 points.

The Kings were equally as dominant on the offensive end connecting on eight early three-pointers, ending the quarter 34-27.

The second quarter was all Boston, as they got off to a 16-5 run to regain the lead early. The Celtics defense in the second quarter made all the difference, holding Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan to just 3-13 from the field. Both teams struggled shooting in the second quarter, with Boston taking a close 55-53 lead at the half. 

The third quarter was just as competitive, with both teams trading baskets throughout the period. Domantas Sabonis was dominant on the glass for the Kings recording a massive 23 rebounds, and dominating Boston on the offensive boards.

Sabonis’ second chance points efforts helped keep the Kings within two possessions the entire quarter. Both teams went into the fourth tied at 76.

The Celtics fell apart defensively in the fourth, with Sacramento players like DeRozan and Sabonis connecting on big-time shots, resulting in the largest Kings run of the matchup. By the last few moments of the game, the Kings put together a 21-7 run to help them pull away from Boston late in the fourth. The Kings stunned Boston at home winning 114-97. 

Brown led all Celtics in scoring with 28 points while Porzingis dropped in 22, but it wouldn’t be enough to help lead the team to victory. Tatum had a seemingly off night finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. 

This loss matches the total number of losses the Celtics throughout the entire 2023-2024 season. Boston has plenty of time to continue fighting for a top seed in the playoffs, but will need to quickly address the problem areas looking ahead . 

Brown following the game saying the Celtics just “need to be better.”

“Film doesn't lie,” Brown said. “Accept it. Just be better. Accept criticism well. Are you willing to be coached and come out and put your best foot forward? Do what your team needs you to do to win and be excellent at that. Anything that's ever been asked of me, I always try to lead by example, and we gotta do that as a unit. So, I'm looking forward to it. We've gotta continue to figure it out as a group. It's part of the journey. It might not be as pretty as some would like. But I believe in this team. I believe in these guys, and I think we'll be alright."