Celtics Reach Rock Bottom in Blowout Loss to Kings

BOSTON — One play summed up the Celtics’ worst loss of the season. One that followed a road trip filled with hope for a turnaround, even if it featured a letdown against the Thunder, Boston’s likely top rival in the title race.

Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown both floated away from Malik Monk after he swung the ball to his right. The ball returned to Monk and all five Celtics players stood in place and stopped moving. The shot bounced back to Domantas Sabonis, and again, nobody flinched as he knocked down the shot.

“Some plays, it just happens,” Kristaps Porziņģis said. “It’s not like we’re not trying. It’s like, I’m thinking this guy’s going, I’m not going and then we just stay in the same place, and it doesn’t look perfect. But we’re gonna get past it. We’re gonna be fine.”

Friday revealed a bigger opponent, themselves, as Boston fell to Sacramento, 114-97.

Joe Mazzulla chalked it up to offense gone awry as he often has this season, and though 15 Celtics turnovers gave the Kings a 20-shot possession advantage, Sacramento also doubled-up Boston on the offensive glass, 16-8. The Kings shot 22-of-30 inside five feet, recalling defensive issues from early in the season, and attempted more threes than the Celtics, 47-41.

The post-game reaction reflected a different feeling from Mazzulla and the players than any other over the recent 8-7 stretch. Mazzulla didn’t offer the strong defense or deflections that he typically utilizes to protect the team. Porziņģis acknowledged a silent and hurt locker room after the loss.

“I would say when you’re having inefficient offense, it puts pressure on your defense, and so I don’t think it’s a long-term effort thing,” Mazzulla said. “I think that just wears on you, whether it’s shot-making, whether it’s execution, whether it’s spacing, I think that takes a toll on you. Then, again, if you’re gonna shoot 28% from three, you’re gonna have to do a bunch of other things really, really well … if you’re having empty possession after empty possession and they’re scoring, that takes a toll on you. I said it’s not a long-term effort thing, but in the short term, yeah.”

The game looked like one that Boston could shoot its way out of. The Kings only managed 43.1% shooting overall, and finished the first half 36.4% from the field and 30% from three. The Celtics led, 55-53, and largely got whatever they wanted as Sacramento switched everything. Jaylen Brown shot 5-for-9 posting up inside the arc, Porziņģis got his three going and they both scored 13 points before entering the break. But Brown saw the Kings’ defense slowing them down and pulling them away from the shots they typically take.

He disagreed with the notion that the Celtics didn’t fight in the second half, but sighed and relented when asked about bad offense impacting their defense. Sabonis grabbed 28 rebounds, the most against the Celtics since Ben Wallace in 2002, eight of them offensive, and scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

“We made some adjustments, partially, to how the league has made some adjustments to us,” Brown said after the game. “Defensively, we’ve been better protecting the basket, not allowing as many paint points. Tonight, Sacramento hit a bunch of shots, they out-shot us from three … our offense was the tell of the game. We had some turnovers, took some ill-advised shots, spacing and rhythm. That’s part of it. Everybody’s back. Everybody was healthy today, so something we gotta continue to fight for and figure out. Today wasn’t the best example of that.”

Players have acknowledged the impact of lineup inconsistency with only three games this season at full health. They don’t rank high in games or minutes missed, but have missed their key players often. Porziņģis put that on himself as he works back from multiple ailments, and while his progression continued with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, the team’s recent inconsistent stretch fell in line with his return and multiple absences since.

More telling on Friday, trailing by double-digits, the Celtics went bigger with Derrick White off the floor in favor of Al Horford and still watched the Kings’ layup line progress. Neemias Queta and the team’s depth wings never left the bench, though Jordan Walsh missed a second straight game with an illness. The team could use more lineup flexibility and while nobody arriving from the outside will vault them back to championship favorite status, the Celtics looked like a team in need of some kind of shakeup. Even if they collectively stood adamant that they’ll figure things out after the defeat.

“We’ll figure it out,” Porziņģis. “I’m telling you. I’m confident we’ll bounce back. We’re just having not the prettiest moment as a team, and it’s completely normal. I don’t need to be negative. Believe me, we’ll figure it out.”

• Jayson Tatum turned the ball over eight times, tying the second most he’s ever had in a game, all coming in the first three quarters. He last did it on Nov. 19, 2023 at Memphis. Before the game, Mazzulla reacted to Brandon Jennings calling Tatum the softest star in Celtics history. He said that he showed Brown and Tatum a timeline of how one former NBA player was discussed throughout his career, as an example, and called the fluctuations hysterical. Mazzulla declined to name the player they used, and his parting message was don’t believe all the positive things people say about you and all the negative things. Tatum, who responded to the comments on Instagram, joked he did so because he had some time on his hands.
• Porziņģis mentioned that he’s working his three-point shooting back through wrist strengthening, something he’s had to do throughout his career. Before Tuesday’s breakout, he shot 32.9% from deep in 14 games. He broke out for 4-of-7 on Friday: “I always have to strengthen my shooting wrist. It’s the kind of thing I’ve been doing already for 3-4 years now. It’s just something that I’ve had to, throughout my career, I don’t want to say battle with, but take care of. So it’s all good.”
• De’Aaron Fox (glute) missed the game for the Kings, who are 6-1 under interim head coach Doug Christie. Drew Peterson missed Friday’s game for Boston/Maine in concussion protocol.