The Boston Celtics visit the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, January 1, with tip-off at 10:00 p.m. ET. Boston holds a 20-12 record and enters the game on a one-game winning streak after beating Utah 129-119 on December 30.
Sacramento struggles with an 8-25 record and a two-game losing streak, dropping 90-131 to the Clippers and 101-125 to the Lakers. The teams have not met this season.
Boston faces several injuries, with Jayson Tatum out due to right Achilles repair. Chris Boucher is questionable for personal reasons, while Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, and Amari Williams are out on two-way assignments.
The Kings are missing key players, including Domantas Sabonis (left knee partial meniscus tear) and Zach LaVine (left ankle sprain). Dylan Cardwell, Daeqwon Plowden, and Isaiah Stevens are out on two-way contracts.
Jaylen Brown leads the Celtics with 29.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, supported by Derrick White’s 18.4 points and Payton Pritchard’s 16.9 points. Neemias Queta adds 10.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Sacramento relies on DeMar DeRozan’s 18.5 points and 3.7 assists, while LaVine averages 20.2 points before injury. Sabonis contributes 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest, and Keegan Murray adds 14.7 points.
