5 points for Celtics not showing determination in defeat to Kings

The Boston Celtics fought, but failed to end a turnaround against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, falling 107-96.

Here’s what happened when the Celtics dropped yet another disconcerting defeat.

The big picture

The Celtics stayed behind early on and spent the rest of the game trying to find their way back. When they gained a point advantage in the middle of the fourth period, the Kings responded with a flurry of baskets – two from De’Aaron Fox and two from Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes. Holmes’ three-point ball was particularly strenuous – he hit from the top of the key when the shot clock expired.

The Celtics never seemed to recover from Holmes’ triple and slid the rest of the way to their third consecutive defeat.

Game player

De’Aaron Fox – 29 points, 11 out of 21 shots, 5 assists, 2 steals

Fox chose the Celtics, especially in the final stretch. The Celtics have struggled with fast and talented ball handlers this season and, after the Celtics recovered, he started the 10-2 streak that helped end the game.

What it means

This is getting ugly. The Celtics have accumulated a series of disappointing defeats this season, and Friday’s was no exception. The Kings are a good offensive team, but the Celtics must have more than enough talent to avoid a 15-point handicap and must have a lot of talent to get away with it.

The Celtics are below 0.500 at 20-21.

Apprenticeship

1 The Celtics’ defense was poor for two quarters and insufficient for the rest of the course, while trying to make up for the difference. Entering the game on Friday, the Celtics gave up 113 points for 100 possessions according to Cleaning the Glass, which is in 18th place in the NBA. Combine defensive fights with an attack that hurled 43 percent off the ground and generated just seven free throws, and the result for Friday night makes a lot of sense.

two The Celtics needed Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker more. Throughout Friday’s game, Tatum looked slow at both ends and finished with 15 points from a 6 out of 16 shots. Walker looked healthy but scored only 16 points from a 6 out of 18 shots.

Walker may still be working to get back, and Tatum may still be dealing with the side effects of COVID-19, but the end result is the same: the Celtics will not win games when Tatum and Walker fight.

3 Payton Pritchard gave the Celtics a good few minutes off the bench. He scored two big 3 points in the third quarter to keep pace and played a strong defense in the fourth. Pritchard has struggled a bit since returning from his knee injury, but getting good minutes from him is very uncomfortable for a team that expects a good post-season race.

4 Richaun Holmes and the Kings blockers provoked attacks on the Celtics – Sacramento recorded nine team blocks. Holmes answered for three, while Hassan Whiteside added two in 15 minutes. The Celtics’ inability to finish around the rim seemed representative of their struggles elsewhere – absolutely nothing was easy, including the layups.

5 Brad Stevens spoke at length about the Celtics’ lack of determination after the game, asking the team to do their best.

“We have to be able to overcome a mistake, a missed shot or a missed opportunity, or to deflect a shot of three and move on,” said Stevens. “Show a great mentality, show a little determination and put that together throughout the game, and we didn’t do that. That is clear. And our challenge to move forward is the only way that this can happen is if we do it as a team. So, we have to engage and fight for these difficult times, and if you are not going to do that, then there will be much more difficult times. …

“IThere must be 17 guys dying to play well together, and I think the fun comes after that. You share. You dive to the ground, recover, it’s difficult with every move. “