The Celtics looked like the team that had the best record for the first 60 games of the season in their 132-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Jayson Tatum had 36 points on 14-of-25 from the field, to go along with eight rebounds, while Jaylen Brown scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting in a bounce back win for Boston after blowing a 19-point lead in a loss to the Utah Jazz Saturday.
"He just did a great job coming out of the gate," Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum. "I thought him and Jaylen did a great job controlling the game with their decision-making."
The All-Star duo combined for 6-of-14 from deep, eight assists and only two turnovers to lead the C's to a 50-23 record -- two games behind the first place Milwaukee Bucks (51-20) with nine left to play.
Derrick White recorded 20 points, 12 assists and Marcus Smart returned from a one-game absence to notch 17 points, seven assists for the Celtics -- who concluded their road trip at 4-2.
De'Aaron Fox finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 from the floor to lead the Kings, while Domontas Sabonis clinched a triple-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Rookie Keegan Murray chipped in 15 points for Sacramento who fell to 43-29 out west.
Boston held the Kings to 22 second quarter points, ending the first half on a 13-2 spurt to take a 60-54 advantage into the break, before hitting 10 of their first 11 shot attempts to open up the third.
White's 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining in the quarter put the Celtics ahead 87-73 (the largest margin up to that point) on their way to a 40-point third period.
Another White 3-pointer with 5:51 left to play in the fourth capped a 16-10 run for Boston, as the Kings began to empty their bench and the deficit grew to 27 following a Sam Hauser 3-pointer in another 10-4 spurt to put the game away in the final 2:37.
Robert Williams (six points, seven rebounds) returned to play 21 minutes off the bench after missing the past eight outings with a left hamstring injury.
Boston, playing their fifth game in seven days, shot 49-of-92 from the floor, including 18-of-44 from 3-point range and only turned the ball over a total of five times.
"I was pleased with the mindset," Mazzulla said. "The most important thing is we managed the turnovers. We have to maintain a level of perspective. This was a hard road trip."
The Celtics return to TD Garden after their six-game road trip over the past two weeks to host the Indiana Pacers (32-40) Friday night. NBA TV has the tip-off at 7:00 ET.
Game Notes:
Boston was 53.3% from the field, including 40.9% from behind the arc, while the Kings were 48.1% from the floor and 17-of-44 (38.6%) from long distance. The Celtics won the battle of the boards 43-42 and points in the paint 56-38. The C's dished out 33 assists on 49 baskets to the Kings' 25 dimes (14 turnovers) on 39 made shots.
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