5 takeaways as Celtics fail to show resolve in loss to Kings, their third straight – Boston.com

The Boston Celtics battled back but couldn’t finish a comeback against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, falling 107-96.

Here’s what transpired, as the Celtics dropped yet another confounding loss.

The big picture

The Celtics fell behind big early and spent the rest of the game trying to work their way back. When they took a one-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Kings responded with a flurry of baskets — two from De’Aaron Fox, and a pair of 3-pointers by Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes. Holmes’ 3-pointer was particularly back-breaking — he banked it in from the top of the key as the shot clock expired.

The Celtics never seemed to recover from Holmes triple and slid the rest of the way into their third straight loss.

Player of the Game

De’Aaron Fox — 29 points, 11-for-21 shooting, 5 assists, 2 steals

Fox picked the Celtics apart, especially down the stretch. The Celtics have struggled with speedy, talented ball-handlers this season, and after the Celtics battled back, he sparked the 10-2 run that helped put the game away.

What it means

This is getting ugly. The Celtics have racked up a host of disappointing losses this season, and Friday’s was no exception. The Kings are a good offensive team, but the Celtics should have more than enough talent to avoid a 15-point deficit, and they should have plenty of talent to dig themselves completely out of the hole.

The Celtics are back below .500 at 20-21.

Takeaways

1. The Celtics’ defense was terrible for two quarters and insufficient the rest of the way as they tried to make up the difference. Entering Friday’s game, the Celtics gave up 113 points per 100 possessions according to Cleaning the Glass, which is 18th in the NBA. Combine the defensive struggles with an offense that shot 43 percent from the floor and generated just seven free throws, and Friday night’s result makes plenty of sense.

2. The Celtics needed more from Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker. Throughout Friday’s game, Tatum looked sluggish on both ends, and he finished with 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Walker looked healthy, but he scored just 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting.

Walker might still be working his way back, and Tatum might still be dealing with COVID-19 aftereffects, but the end result is the same: The Celtics aren’t going to win games when Tatum and Walker both struggle.

3. Payton Pritchard gave the Celtics some good minutes off the bench. He made two big 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep pace and played energetic defense in the fourth. Pritchard has struggled a bit since he returned from his knee injury, but getting good minutes from him matters an uncomfortable amount for a team hoping for a nice postseason run.

4. Richaun Holmes and the Kings’ shot-blockers gave the Celtics fits — Sacramento recorded nine blocked shots as a team. Holmes accounted for three, while Hassan Whiteside added two in 15 minutes. The Celtics’ inability to finish around the rim felt representative of their struggles everywhere else — absolutely nothing was easy, including the layups.

5. Brad Stevens talked at length about the Celtics’ lack of resolve postgame, calling for the team to give better effort.

“We have to be able to move past a mistake or a missed shot or a missed opportunity or them banking a shot in from three and move on,” Stevens said. “Show a great mindset, show a little resolve and put that together throughout the game, and we have not done that. That is clear. And our challenge moving forward is the only way that happens is if we do it as a team. So got to get engaged in each other and you’ve got to fight through these tough times, and if you’re not going to do that, then there’s going to be a lot more tough times. … 

“It’s got to be 17 guys dying to play well together, and I think the fun follows that. You share it. You dive on the floor, you rebound, you’re tough every single play.”