The Rights and Wrongs: Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics

The Sacramento Kings lost to the Boston Celtics tonight by a score of 97-92. Listed below are the rights and wrongs that happened in tonight’s game pertaining to the guys wearing purple.

RIGHTS

Second Unit: The Kings started tonight’s game very sluggish, as they trailed by as much as 13 points in the first quarter. However, the Kings were able to tie the score after one due to the production of the bench. The bench continued to give the Kings momentum throughout the game, as they combined for a +/- of +16.

Matt Barnes: Barnes was part of the bench which had an efficient game tonight, but he, in particular, had an excellent game statisitically. Barnes was a huge versatile asset for Sacramento tonight, as he finished the game with 12 points, 5 assists, and 16 rebounds.

Containing the Husky: Isaiah Thomas averages over 26 points a game this season, and considering the fact that he was playing against his former team tonight, the Kings did not need the 5’9” lightening rod to burn them.

Fortunately, the perimeter defense of Sacramento prevented Thomas to be the spark plug that Kings fans remember him being. Although he finished the game with 20 points, Thomas also shot just 6-21 from the floor and 0-5 from the perimeter.

WRONGS

Can’t Stop Horford: What kept the Celtics contending in this game was the dominance of Al Horford on both ends of the floor. The purple and white had no answer for the former Florida Gator, as he finished the game with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Horford also shot 10-18 from the field and 4-7 from the perimeter.

Perimeter Shooting: For the second straight game, the Kings were cold shooting beyond the perimeter. The Kings shot an abysmal 6-26 from three in tonight’s game, and in the last two games, the Kings have shot 19.1% from the three-point line.

Starting 5: When comparing the starting lineups for tonight’s game, the Celtics quartet outmatched the Kings by miles. When the game was all said and done, the Kings’ starters combined for a +/- of -36 and the Celtics’ starters recorded a +42. In particular, the duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay had a rough night offensively, recording just 41 points combined while shooting 16-40 from the floor and 3-14 from the perimeter.