CELTICS HAS MADE THE DEAL TRANSACTON FOR STAR PLAYER FROM.
In an attempt to snap a losing streak on the road, the Boston Celtics are faced with the difficult assignment of playing the dynamic Sacramento Kings less than twenty-four hours after suffering a setback in overtime in San Francisco on Wednesday night. The Celtics looked to be headed for a fairly easy road victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, building up a 17-point lead in the third quarter while riding the high of a five-game winning streak, all at home. But Jayson Tatum, who had to sit out nearly a whole quarter after spraining his left ankle, missed a game-winning shot in regulation, meaning that the Celtics wasted five more minutes of effort in a 132-126 loss.
Derrick White finished with a 30-point performance, making a season-high seven 3-pointers, but the Celtics ultimately let it slip. Boston, which leads the Eastern Conference in record, had lost four straight away from home. The Celtics have a 20-6 record on the road and have won 14 of their games at home. Al Horford was mentioned as a “load management” candidate by Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla even before he witnessed all five of his starters play 36 minutes or more against the Warriors. This was the second night of the back-to-back.
That turned out to be the case as Horford, Tatum, and center Luke Kornet (strained left adductor) were all declared out of Wednesday’s game by the Celtics. Mazzulla also mentioned that Kristaps Porzingis, who was not included in Tuesday’s trip opener, would probably play again against the Kings. “Just calf management, back-to-back, a little slow after (Boston’s home win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday),” Mazzulla said regarding Porzingis. “Just really trying to manage that and make sure both those guys stay healthy.”
The Kings are a team that has also recently capitalized on its home dates, and the Celtics will be facing this team as they try to avoid what would be just their second set of back-to-back losses this season. Sacramento has defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards to begin a six-game homestand, averaging a 12-point margin of victory in those games. In a 143-131 victory over the Wizards on Monday, the Kings’ offense was effective as they scored a season-high number of points thanks to balanced scoring, 53 percent shooting, and 17 3-pointers.
