BSJ Game Report: Celtics 113, Kings 95 - Tatum hurt as C's pull away from Sacramento

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Kings, with BSJ insight and analysis.

A sloppy start set the Celtics back nine early in the first, but Jayson Tatum took over to lead the C’s to a one-point lead. Boston’s bench gave the Celtics good minutes in the second to extend the lead to five at halftime. They got it up to 10 after three but they lost Tatum to a bad ankle sprain in the process. The Celtics dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for their sixth-straight win.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Tatum hurt: He landed on Domantas Sabonis’ foot after shooting a 3 and stayed down for a while. Tatum never stays down as long as he did there, so there is certainly some concern about the severity of the injury. The good news is that he was in good spirits after the game and wasn't in any kind of boot or apparatus to help him walk. 

- Bench production: They got 46 points from their bench, a monster number for a team averaging 29.5 per game, the fifth-lowest in the NBA. Payton Pritchard led the way, getting back to his Sixth Man of the Year-type performance.

- Brown returns: Jaylen Brown came back from a two-game absence due to a bone bruise, but it was pretty quickly apparent that he probably should sit out a little longer. He’s chasing the 65 games threshold for qualifying for postseason awards, so he’s probably going to try to gut his way through this. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics were nursing a 10-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter when they stormed out of a timeout on a 12-0 run to put the game away with neither Tatum or Brown on the floor. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Jayson Tatum: Before the injury, Tatum was having one of his usual nights. He only played 26:27 and he still finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. He shot well, going 8-15 overall and 5-9 from deep. He did have three turnovers in the first quarter but none after that. Tatum truly has been playing the best basketball of his life. Let's hope that can continue after he recovers from the ankle injury.

- Sabonis apologizing for the foul: I don’t think he was going full Zaza Pachulia trying to hurt Tatum, so it was good to see him apologize after the game. 

The play was still reckless and it deserved to be a flagrant-1. I think there's merit to the calls for the NBA to take a closer look at how Tatum is officiated on plays like this. He needs to be protected on plays like that and that hasn't been the case all season.

- Derrick White: You know why. 

His line doesn’t scream at you (12 points, five rebounds, eight assists), but he was there whenever the Celtics needed him. Just another typical DWhite game. 

- Baylor Scheierman: What a moment for him. He was +17 in this game, just behind Pritchard’s +18 for best on the night. He went 3-6 from 3, grabbed seven rebounds, including two big offensive boards, and he had two steals. One of those steals turned into his lone assist … but man did he make that one count. 

- Payton Pritchard: 22 points off the bench was huge for the Celtics. He finds these bursts of speed like someone hid a can of nitrous oxide in his sneakers. 

- Luke Kornet: The road dog was at it again, barking his way to another 13-point night. He had four more offensive rebounds in this game, bringing his total over the last three games to 10. That's basically half of his overall rebounding total (21). It was also his second-straight game with three assists. 

Kristaps Porzingis: He didn't shoot particularly well, but he had a good night defending the rim. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Tatum’s injury: It didn’t look good at all, and he didn’t talk afterward, but the vibe out of the locker room was positive. I can’t say for sure without the official word from the team, but I’m starting to get the feeling Tatum avoided a serious injury. 

- Jaylen Brown: I’m not going to get down on Brown for playing. It’s not his fault the league has this 65-game rule and that he’s still chasing it. This is the ultimate "don't hate the player, hate the game" situation. He didn't look great at all and he seemed to be lacking his usual burst. 

- Jrue Holiday: He hit his first 3-pointer and it was downhill from there offensively. He missed his next four from deep and was 2-11 overall.

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Take all the time you need, Jayson Tatum. 

He has hit his 65 games and the Celtics are firmly in second in the East. There is no reason to rush him back for anything. 

They should treat him like they treat Porzingis. Once he’s ready, give him an extra day just to be sure. 

The beauty of this schedule is that with games on Wednesday and Saturday, two games off is a week of recovery time. Hell, I say send him home and make sure he’s off his feet until the Miami game on April 2. 

Don’t be a hero. Take the rest now, then return to ramping up over the final couple of weeks. 

Next up: The Celtics face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night at 10 p.m.