Game Preview: Kings v Celtics

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 on Dec. 2.