Boston Celtics at Sacramento Kings
Golden 1 Center
Boston Celtics -9.5-108
CONF 82%
WCashedFinal 120-106
The read
TALE OF THE TAPE
Boston Celtics Sacramento Kings Record 20-12 ← 8-25 Off Rating 119.5 ← 107.9 Def Rating 113.2 ← 119.1 Net Rating +6.3 ← -11.2 Recent Form 4-1 ← 1-4 Key Injuries Tatum (OUT) Sabonis (Doubtful)
Gary's Take Don't overthink this one. The Sacramento Kings are currently a shell of an NBA team. Without Domantas Sabonis to facilitate the offense or protect the paint, their defensive floor has fallen into the basement. In their last two outings, they surrendered 131 points to the Clippers and 125 to the Lakers, losing by a combined 65 points. They simply cannot stop anyone right now, and their defensive rating of 119.1 is a glaring red flag.
On the other side, the Boston Celtics have adapted beautifully to life without Jayson Tatum. Their offensive rating remains elite at 119.5, powered by a system that generates open looks regardless of who is on the floor. While Jaylen Brown has had some scoring variance recently, the unit as a whole is humming, dropping 140 on Indiana and 129 on Utah in the last week. Anfernee Simons and Derrick White provide more than enough firepower to exploit a Kings defense that is essentially a turnstile.
This spread is wide for a road favorite, but the discrepancy in class here is massive. We are looking at a +6.3 Net Rating team against a -11.2 Net Rating team that is currently playing G-League level defense. Expect Boston to name their score and pull away comfortably in the second half.
Injuries noted
Boston Celtics: Chris Boucher (Questionable) — Dec 31: Boucher (personal) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Kings.; Jayson Tatum (Out) — Oct 9: The Celtics have not ruled Tatum (Achilles) out for the 2025-26 season, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.
Sacramento Kings: Zach LaVine (Out) — Dec 31: LaVine (ankle) will not play Thursday against the Celtics.; Domantas Sabonis (Questionable) — Dec 19: Sabonis (knee) will be sidelined for at least 4-to-5 more weeks, NBA reporter Marc Stein reports.
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- Board stored January 1, 2026 at 11:56 AM ET.
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Props on this game
2Russell WestbrookOVER 28.5 Points Rebounds Assists Points Rebounds Assists-109
LActual 19
Look, when the Kings' big guns like Sabonis and LaVine are in the garage, Russ is the guy who gets the keys to the Ferrari. He's been averaging over 30 PRA in these specific spots, and with this being a national TV game on NBA TV, you know Westbrook is going to play with that signature 'Energizer Bunny' intensity.
He’s chasing milestones every night and without Sabonis to grab the boards or facilitate, Russ becomes the primary engine for everything Sacramento does. Even in recent blowouts, his floor remains high because he's the one trying to spark the comeback.
I expect him to flirt with a triple-double tonight against a Celtics team that’s also missing their main wing defender in Tatum. This line is simply too low for a guy with this much usage.
Maxime RaynaudOVER 12.5 Points Points-124
LActual 12
Maxime Raynaud is the best kept secret in Northern California right now. With Sabonis out of the picture, this kid has stepped into the starting center role and hasn't looked back, dropping nearly 15 a game over his last ten starts.
He’s logged 35 minutes in back-to-back games despite the scoreboards being ugly, which tells me the coaching staff is committed to his development no matter what. He’s facing a Celtics frontcourt that’s solid but doesn't have a traditional bruiser to move him off his spots with Tatum out of the lineup.
Raynaud has been efficient, shooting over 55% from the floor, and his ability to stretch the floor slightly makes him a nightmare for Boston's drop coverage. He’s cleared this 12.5 mark in three of his last five, and the two he missed were close calls—tonight he clears it with ease.
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