In an inevitable match up with the struggling Sacramento Kings (now with a 1-7 record), the balanced Boston squad squared up against the imperfect Kings, who were blown out last night by Indiana 101-83, and hand delivered another obliterating defeat 113-86 to make Sacramento that more depressed.
Surprisingly for the Kings, a very close first half helped them build momentum until the C’s rode out the third quarter and snagged their sixth straight victory. Relatively new acquired guard Buddy Hield led the way with 17 points, a catch and shoot mastermind at the University of Oklahoma. Not to mention, Hield came off the bench as a instant offensive weapon tonight, making creative shots through pick and rolls and stopping on a dime. Veteran big man Zach Randolph, who is currently in his 17th year playing in the NBA, used his traditional big man skills to score 16 points and ripped 5 rebounds. Quickster rookie point guard DeAaron Fox has been described by many as a “blur” on the court, using his elite acceleration to get to the hoop along with making the extra pass. Fox showcased in TD Garden for the first time with a modest 6 points and 3 boards to go along with 6 assists dished out in 28 minutes of play. As a team, Sacramento shot the ball efficiently, just roughly over 43% on field goals and sank 83.3% of free throws.
For the successful Celtics, burying the Kings late in the game was expected by many. With star players Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown being the dynamic duo tonight with 22 points a piece, it was a tough match up for Sacramento. Along with these two, one player in particular who ruled the first half was international prospect Daniel Theis. Scoring 6 points but pulling down 7 rebounds before halftime, Theis pushed the physicality early on and drove the C’s on the board with 10 of his own. Fellow rebound master Al Horford took down 7 of his own while offensively putting up 7 points. Rookies Jayson Tatum and Semi Ojeleye combined for 23 points and shot the three point ball very well. The two stud rooks totaled 4-8 on threes while Jaylen Brown went 5-6 from behind the arc.
From the teams perspective as a whole, both clubs shot the ball efficiently, with Sacramento going 43% from the field compared to Boston, who went about 58% from the field. The rebounding numbers were off the charts for the Celtics, who have drastically improved the rebounding woes of last year, ripping down 52 rebounds compared to the Kings, who took 26.
Next game for the C’s- Friday 11/3 @ OKC Thunder
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