Boston Celtics vs. Sacramento Kings preview, injury report, and info - January 25, 2022

The Athletic

The Boston Celtics head back home to take on the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Boston will be looking to win their second game in a row, while the Kings are hoping to snap a three-game losing streak.

Boston Celtics vs. Sacramento Kings preview, injury report, and info

How to Watch

Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston

Injury Report

The only Celtics listed on the injury report for tonight are the team’s two newest acquisitions - PJ Dozier (ACL) and Bol Bol (foot). Both are set to miss significant time.

Sacramento has two players listed on their injury report, too. De’Aaron Fox is questionable due to an ankle injury, and Damian Jones is questionable with left ankle soreness.

Boston Celtics Breakdown

Jayson Tatum exploded in Boston’s Sunday-night game against the Washington Wizards. He dropped 51 points in what was a dominant victory. It was also the first time the team was fully healthy (outside of Dozier and Bol) in a long while. Marcus Smart returned and played well, and the team was just clicking. It’s important not to get too high off of one game, but it was likely the most complete offensive game the C’s have played this year.

The rotations are beginning to look a bit different, too. Ime Udoka continues to roll out the same starting five, but he's making minor tweaks. For example, Dennis Schroder and Smart aren’t sharing the floor together, which helps with spacing. Romeo Langford is now the ninth man in the rotation, and he looked solid against Washington. And lastly, Enes Freedom didn’t play at all vs. the Wizards.

Outside of the on-the-court updates, one major event to note is that Smart is officially eligible to be traded. From January 25 (today) until the trade deadline, Smart could be dealt at any point. Some saw his recent “I love you guys” story as his final words to his teammates, but that’s simply a theory. Only time will tell if Smart remains with the team.

Sacramento Kings Breakdown

The Kings have been a mess this year. It all started with the Marvin Bagley III drama and continued on when they fired head coach Luke Walton. Now, as the trade deadline approaches, they’ve been involved in every rumor imaginable. From De’Aaron Fox to Tyrese Haliburton to Harrison Barnes, a lot of players have been involved in these rumors.

Most prominently, though, the Kings have been linked to Ben Simmons. They have been reportedly interested in the 76ers guard since the summer, and would supposedly be willing to include Fox and/or Haliburton in a trade. Sixers GM Daryl Morey even recently came out and said that there are trades with the Kings that would work. An odd thing to say, to be honest.

As far as on-the-court updates, though, Sacramento has some quality pieces. Barnes is playing well, Haliburton has shown flashes of a franchise point guard, and Richaun Holmes looks great this season. This may just be adding to their trade-deadline value, but it’s promising nonetheless.

Keys to the Game

Tatum needs to make his shots. He snapped his 20-three miss streak against the Wizards, and now he needs to make sure that he doesn’t revert back. If Tatum is making his shots, then the Celtics’ chance of winning increases exponentially.  Tatum just needs to stay hot. That simple.

That being said, the Celtics can’t let him do it by himself. The ball has to stay moving. When Boston utilizes good ball movement, they play better offense. That’s not a difficult concept, but too many times this year have the C’s reverted back to isolation-heavy basketball. Isolation ball is what continuously hinders their offense from being great. They cannot fall into that trap.

And lastly, watch out for Sacramento’s shooters. They may not be putting it all together this season in terms of record, but they do have shot-makers. Barnes is shooting over 40 percent from deep, Hield has always killed the Celtics from three-point range, and Haliburton’s form may look odd, but he can make shots. Boston can’t get caught slipping on the three-point arc.

Pregame Show

Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, “The Banner Town Build Up.” We are live 30 minutes before every Celtics game at @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tonight!