The Boston Celtics head west Wednesday to take on the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
The Celtics (33-18) have been running roughshod against any and all comers recently, ripping off seven consecutive victories. Their latest triumph came at the expense of the Los Angeles Clippers by a 107-102 margin on Sunday. Isaiah Thomas led the way with 28 points, eight assists, two rebounds and one steal. A quartet of 13-point efforts from Al Horford, Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Marcus Smart followed. Horford added 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks, Johnson hauled in six boards and recorded one assist, Olynyk posted four rebounds, two assists and one steal, and Smart supplied three rebounds and three assists. Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder went for 11 points apiece.
On the injury front, Jonas Jerebko (nose) is likely to be listed as probable for Wednesday’s contest, while Avery Bradley (Achilles) is already ruled out for the game.
The Kings (20-32) have hit the skids lately, losing four of their last five contests. Their most recent defeat came with an even higher-than-usual cost, as DeMarcus Cousins picked up his 15th and 16th technical fouls of the season in the 112-107 Monday loss to the Bulls, triggering a suspension for Wednesday’s game. Ty Lawson led the way for the Kings with 22 points, seven assists, four rebounds and one block. Matt Barnes had a near double-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. DeMarcus Cousins posted an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double that also featured five assists, one steal and one block. Darren Collison managed 14 points, five assists, one rebound and two steals. Kosta Koufos contributed 10 points, two rebounds, one assist and three blocks.
The Kings will be without Cousins on Wednesday due to his aforementioned suspension, while Omri Casspi (foot) will be sidelined as well. Veteran big man Anthony Tolliver may get the starting nod in Cousins’ place.
Wednesday’s game will mark the second of two meetings between the teams this season. Boston notched a 97-92 victory in Boston Dec. 2.
