The Celtics trailed 84-78 at the 4:04 mark of the 3rd quarter. Then, Joe Mazzulla subbed in Payton Pritchard and Luka Kornet, and the rest was history.
The Boston Celtics sunk the Sacramento Kings 122-104 as they reached deep into their championship pedigree to slam the door on a 34-6 run, behind a game-high 30 points from Jayson Tatum.
Boston enjoyed a smooth first quarter-and-a-half as they shared the basketball, scoring at will and benefitting from their defense forcing a season-high 10 turnovers in the early going. Derrick White and Marcus Smart set the tone defensively by deflecting passes and starting fast breaks.
During the close of the 2nd quarter and much of the 3rd quarter, however, the Kings manufactured shots at the rim with ease and took the energy out of the building. Sacramento received a combined total of 38 points from De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Mazzulla sent Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet into the game and the tide turned. At the 4:04 mark, with the Celtics trailing 84-78, the trio of Pritchard, Kornet and Tatum combined for 14 of the last 16 Celtics points en route to a 16-0 run.
The Kings never clawed back within single digits and the Celtics ran away. Jaylen Brown finished with 25 points on 9 for 16 shooting and Al Horford made three shots from deep, improving to 48% on the season.
The Celtics showed a level of poise only a few teams can when the visitors go on a run. They absorbed the hits from the Kings, and answered with their own knockout punch.
The Celtics improved to a league-best 15-4 with the win. They now host the Wizards, Hornets and Heat to finish the home stand.
