Highs and Lows: Shorthanded Sacramento Kings Defeat the C’s
By Rafe Wong
No DeMarcus Cousins, no Garrett Temple, and no Ty Lawson for a significant part of the game, but yet, the Sacramento Kings found a way to defeat the Boston Celtics by a score of 108-92.
Listed down below are the highs and lows that happened in tonight’s game pertaining to the Kings.
HIGHS
Darren Collison: With no DeMarcus Cousins tonight due to suspension, the Kings needed Darren Collison to play like a first-option scorer tonight, and boy did he deliver. For the night, Collison was able to score 26 points while shooting 12-21 from the floor. Although Collison may not be a legit lead scorer for an NBA team, he displayed it tonight when the Kings needed him to the most.
Bench Power: The bench for Sacramento continues to uplift their team. For the night, the reserves for Sacramento recorded 50 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists for the night. Not only was the Kings’ bench efficient on offense, but their defense was also solid. As a result, the Kings as a collective whole only allowed Boston to score 92 points while shooting 39.7% from the floor.
Perimeter Defense: The Boston Celtics have been a good three-point shooting team this season, but tonight, the Kings were able to cause the C’s to struggle. A team that usually makes 36.6% of their perimeter shots per game, the Kings only allowed the Celtics to shoot 31.3% tonight from the area. The Kings’ defense was really efficient tonight, and a big reason for it was because of their ability to defend the three-point line.
LOWS
Stopping the Former Pizza Guy: Isaiah Thomas finally gets the chance to play a game in Sacramento while wearing a Boston Celtics jersey. Overall, the former King had a typical Isaiah Thomas night on the offensive end. He finished the night scoring 26 points, dishing off 7 assists, and shooting 6-16 from the floor. It’s impossible for an opponent to completely shut down Thomas. Only one can hope to contain him. But the Kings didn’t do such a good job defending the former Pizza Guy tonight.
Turnovers: If there was a weakness in the Kings’ offense tonight, it was their lack of protecting the ball. For the night, the Kings recorded 14 turnovers, which caused the purple and white to lose momentum throughout the game. Turnovers continue to be a killer for the Kings’ offense. For the season, the team is averaging 13.8 turnovers per contest.
Ty Lawson: Ty Lawson played well tonight as he recorded 6 points and 4 assists, but his night ended with a big thump. In the middle of the second quarter, Lawson went down to what appears to be a hamstring injury. NOT ANOTHER ONE! It’s unknown how serious Lawson’s injury is, but if it is significant, it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the Kings to win games going forward.