Halftime Report

Down three on the finish of the primary quarter, the Celtics now have the lead. They’ve jumped out to a 74-66 lead in opposition to the Kings.

If the Celtics hold taking part in like this, they will bump their report as much as 21-6 very quickly. Then again, the Kings must make due with a 16-10 report except they flip issues round (and quick).

Who’s Enjoying

Boston Celtics @ Sacramento Kings

Present Data: Boston 20-6, Sacramento 16-9

How To Watch

• When: Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET
• The place: Golden 1 Middle — Sacramento, California
• TV: NBATV
• Observe: CBS Sports activities App
• On-line streaming: fuboTV (Attempt free of charge. Regional restrictions could apply.)
• Ticket Value: $60.00

What to Know

The Boston Celtics simply performed final evening, however they will nonetheless head out to face the Sacramento Kings at 10:00 p.m. ET on December twentieth at Golden 1 Middle. Coming off a loss in a recreation the Celtics have been anticipated to win, they now face the extra daunting activity of proving themselves in opposition to unfavorable odds.

After a string of 5 wins, the Celtics’ success lastly ran out on Tuesday. They fell to Golden State 132-126. The defeat happened regardless of the Celtics having been up 17 within the third quarter.

The loss does not inform the entire story although, as a number of gamers had good video games. Probably the most energetic was Derrick White, who scored 30 factors together with seven rebounds and three blocks. Jaylen Brown was one other key contributor, scoring 28 factors together with eight rebounds and 7 assists.

Despite the fact that they misplaced, the Celtics have been smashing the offensive glass and completed the sport with 18 offensive rebounds. This was solely their first loss (out of 5 video games) when they hit their very own glass that onerous.

In the meantime, the Kings scored probably the most factors they’ve had all season to seek out success on Monday. They walked away with a 143-131 victory over Washington. The oddsmakers set the bar excessive with a 251.5-point over/underneath, however they nonetheless managed to beat it.

A number of gamers turned in stable performances to guide the Kings to victory, however maybe none extra so than Domantas Sabonis, who dropped a triple-double on 28 factors, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Sabonis continues to roll, besting his earlier level complete in every of the final three video games he is performed. The group additionally received some assist courtesy of De’Aaron Fox, who scored 30 factors together with six assists and 5 rebounds.

Boston bumped their report right down to 20-6 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the highway. As for Sacramento, they’re on a roll recently: they’ve gained 5 of their final six contests, which supplied a pleasant bump to their 16-9 report this season.

Wednesday’s match is one the place the variety of possessions is more likely to be a giant issue: The Celtics have not given up the ball simply this season, having solely averaged 12.8 turnovers per recreation. Nevertheless, it isn’t just like the Kings wrestle in that division as they have been averaging solely 13 turnovers per recreation. Given these competing strengths, it will be fascinating to see how their conflict performs out.

The Celtics took their win in opposition to the Kings of their earlier assembly again in March by a conclusive 132-109. Will the Celtics repeat their success, or do the Kings have a greater recreation plan this time round? We’ll discover out quickly sufficient.

Odds

Sacramento is a 3-point favourite in opposition to Boston, in line with the most recent NBA odds.

The road on this recreation has moved fairly a bit because it opened, because it began out with the Celtics as a 2.5-point favourite.

The over/underneath is ready at 237 factors.

See NBA picks for each single recreation, together with this one, from SportsLine’s superior laptop mannequin. Get picks now.

Collection Historical past

Boston has gained 7 out of their final 10 video games in opposition to Sacramento.

• Mar 21, 2023 – Boston 132 vs. Sacramento 109
• Nov 25, 2022 – Boston 122 vs. Sacramento 104
• Mar 18, 2022 – Boston 126 vs. Sacramento 97
• Jan 25, 2022 – Boston 128 vs. Sacramento 75
• Mar 19, 2021 – Sacramento 107 vs. Boston 96
• Feb 03, 2021 – Sacramento 116 vs. Boston 111
• Nov 25, 2019 – Boston 103 vs. Sacramento 102
• Nov 17, 2019 – Sacramento 100 vs. Boston 99
• Mar 14, 2019 – Boston 126 vs. Sacramento 120
• Mar 06, 2019 – Boston 111 vs. Sacramento 109