Final: Kings 114, Celtics 97 - C's crumble in 4th quarter

BOSTON CELTICS (27-10) vs. SACRAMENTO KINGS (18-19)

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - NBCS Boston

Line: Celtics -11.5

INJURIES

Boston: Jordan Walsh (OUT, illness), Drew Peterson (OUT, concussion protocol)

Sacramento: De’Aaron Fox (OUT, glute)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1: Focus: It’s the first game back from a Western Conference road trip and the other team’s star player is out. This really has the potential to be an ugly game, win or lose. I’m not setting my expectations very high, but it would be nice to see some good energy right away. I’ll be impressed if they keep up good pace and execution the whole night. 

2: Defense: Interim coach Doug Christie has the Kings playing a more free-flowing style of basketball. It’s not exactly the kind of unpredictable stuff the Pacers are throwing out there, but it’s a little looser than what the Celtics might remember from past matchups. The defense has to be on point. 

3: Attack Domantas Sabonis: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to attack Sabonis with pick-and-rolls all night long. They need to attack him relentlessly, tire him out, and maybe get him in foul trouble. The original title of this bullet point was “don’t let Sabonis be the hub of the offense,” and that's still true. I switched it because I think the best path to accomplishing that is by making his life hell on the defensive and getting him out of rhythm.  

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.