Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings meet at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
No one knows where the Kings are going. They’ve been floundering for years, and rumors continue to swirl about the team’s leadership.
George Karl, who was hired as head coach of the team less than one year ago on Feb. 11, 2015, is rumored to have his job on the line yet again. Sacramento has lost six of its last seven games to drop to 21-29 overall on the season. Although Karl is the fifth-winningest coach in the history of the league, the losses apparently fall onto his shoulders.
According to multiple media outlets, Karl said Saturday afternoon, “I don’t have any control over what other people are thinking or saying. That’s their storm.”
From the outside looking in, it appears to be an organizational storm within the Kings.
One of the reasons why Sacramento has been in a downward spiral is its defense. To put it lightly, its defense has been underwhelming.
The Kings have allowed their opponents to score a whopping 116.4 points per game over their last seven contests. Those seven opponents have made 47.6 percent of their shots and 44.9 percent of their 3-pointers.
Brooklyn – yes, the team that has won 13 games this season – just dropped 128 points on Sacramento Friday night. All five Nets starters scored at least 14 points.
This might be a night during which Boston’s offense, which has been hot for some time now, might reach new heights.
You’d have to live under a rock to not know that Boston knocked off the East-leading Cavaliers Friday night in Cleveland. What we all must hope is that the C’s don’t have a hangover from that game.
Monumental wins – particularly those of the buzzer-beating variety against championship-level teams – are difficult to forget. They’re also easy to hold onto.
There’s no doubt that Boston’s players, as well as Brad Stevens, will be asked about that game by local media members before Sunday’s tip-off. The C’s would be well-served to answer those questions and then move on. They must forget about Friday’s win, because Sunday’s matchup is a brand new challenge, and one that they must attack with full concentration.
Sunday’s contest will mark Rajon Rondo’s second game at TD Garden as a visitor. He first returned to the Garden on Jan. 2, 2015 and torched the Celtics with 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting. It has been more than a year since he has been back to his old stomping grounds.
These two teams have met this season, back on Dec. 3 in Mexico City, and Rondo did not perform anywhere near the elite level he reached during his first game against Boston. His most recent outing included only five points and eight assists before he was ejected during the third quarter.
That night, Rondo showed that he still can become frustrated and lose his cool in the blink of an eye. The question heading into Sunday’s game is, which Rondo shows up to the Garden? The one who played there 13 months ago, or the one who faced Boston earlier this season?
Statistically speaking, DeMarcus Cousins is undoubtedly the best center in the NBA. He’s incredibly skilled for his size and heads into Sunday’a matchup with season averages of 27.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Cousins is coming off of a triple-double against Brooklyn that consisted of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He has logged a double-double during 16 of his last 17 games and has been scoring at an insane rate of late – 30.5 points per game over his last 15, to be exact.
Boston was able to limit Cousins to only 16 points and seven rebounds during its 114-97 win over the Kings back on Dec. 3. Those numbers, however, were a bit skewed, as Cousins only logged 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Attempting to contain him again on Sunday will be a hefty challenge for the hosts.
