Sacramento continues their road trip in Boston as they take on their Eastern Conference … fraternal twin?
The road swing continues for the Sacramento Kings tonight, as they visit the Boston Celtics for the first time this season.
Their meeting comes several months from their last meeting in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game, a contest that in hindsight had almost no translation into the regular season, but gave the Kings something to smile about in the summertime.
It’s been a disappointing season, there’s no way around it. But in tonight’s opposition there are several parallels that can be drawn around two young cores and their abilities to perform at a high level.
Boston boasts an elite tandem in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who despite the ceiling of their talent have not been able to sustain their success over the last three months. Sitting at 24-24 heading into tonight’s contest, the C’s have been struggling to buoy at .500 without the presence of a real point guard. Rumors have swirled if the Brown-Tatum duo has seen its twilight, and the trade deadline could be just as eye-catching in Boston as it is in Sactown.
In contrast, Kings brass have decided — for now —that De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are the budding backcourt of the future. Both organizations have come to a crossroads of what to do with their young stars, although the Celtics have seen a much more positive product since Tatum’s rookie year.
Sacramento has not confirmed if Fox in his second straight game listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Missing his bounce against this team will leave the ball in Haliburton’s hand, and most likely Terence Davis’. TD has been shooting at en elite level, and keeping that high-caliber clip in his match-up with Dennis Schroder will be vital.
How to Watch/Listen: NBC Sports California, Sports 1140 KHTK
Opposing Perspective: CelticsBlog
SAC injuries/absences: De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (Left Ankle Soreness), Damian Jones – Questionable (Left Ankle Soreness)
DET injuries/absences: Bol Bol – Out (Foot), P.J. Dozier – Out (ACL), Bruno Fernando – Out (G League Assignment), Sam Hauser – Out (G League Assignment), Brodric Thomas – Out (G League Assignment)