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The Boston Celtics (20-6) are playing at the Sacramento Kings (16-9) on Wednesday, December 20. Boston is on the second night of a back-to-back after losing in overtime against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, December 19. As such, the Kings will have a rest advantage heading into the game.
Boston's tired legs could be an issue against the Kings. Mike Brown likes his team to sprint in transition and favors a high-octane, early offense approach. De'Aaron Fox's speed will be key for Sacramento and a big test for the Celtics.
Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings: Game details, prediction and betting tips
Game Details
Teams: Boston Celtics (20-6) vs. Sacramento Kings (16-9)
Date and Time: Dec. 20, 2023 | 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings: Preview
The Boston Celtics usually sit Al Horford on the second night of back-to-backs; they did it all of last season and have continued to stick with that rest policy.
Luke Kornet will be absent due to injury. Kristaps Porzingis is expected to play after sitting out the game against Golden State. Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle sprain against the Warriors and will be questionable heading into the day.
On the other hand, Sacramento will have a full health roster outside of the injured Alex Len. As such, Mike Brown will want his Kings team to take advantage of the Celtics' current injury situation and the fact they played a long and competitive game less than 24 hours before making the trip to the Golden 1 Center.
Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings: Starting lineups
Assuming Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis are both cleared to play, the Boston Celtics' starting lineup will be Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis.
If Tatum is ruled out of the game, it's likely that Sam Hauser will be added to the starting unit to ensure Boston's spacing remains at an elite level and gives Jaylen Brown the necessary room to operate.
Based on recent games, the Sacramento Kings' starting lineup will be De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes and Domantas Saboins.
The Kings get a lot of mileage out of their two-man game between Fox and Sabonis and will likely look to hit early pitch-ahead passes and flow into early offensive sets as often as possible.
Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings: Betting tips
De'Aaron Fox is -115 to score over 29.5 points against the Boston Celtics. The speedster is currently averaging 30.1 points per game on 47.7% shooting.
Kevin Huerter is -113 on both the over and the under to score 1.5 threes against the Celtics. The sharpshooting guard is currently converting 2.2 of his 6 3-point attempts per game.
Domantas Sabonis is +105 to secure under 12.5 rebounds against Boston. He's currently averaging 12.3 rebounds per game.
Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings: Prediction
The Sacramento Kings are slight favorites heading into their game against the Celtics. The oddsmakers have them as -2.5 on the spread (-108) and -142 on the money line.
Part of the reason the Kings are favorites is due to Boston's current issues with their big-man rotation, and the fact the Kings hold a genuine rest advantage.
Still, Sacramento will need to be wary. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown are all capable scorers who could easily put up north of 20 points each. If Tatum is cleared to play, his playmaking and rebounding will also be a huge factor for Joe Mazzulla's team.
