The Boston Celtics leaned on a late surge and a dominant all-around effort from Jaylen Brown to secure a 120-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center. The win improved Boston to 21-12 and capped off another composed road performance.
Brown finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds and added four assists before fouling out in the final minutes. The All-Star forward went 11-of-25 from the field and made six free throws, continuing a streak of scoring at least 20 points in 12 of his last 15 games.
The Celtics faced early resistance as Sacramento controlled much of the first half, despite Boston connecting on 10 three-pointers. Precious Achiuwa scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Kings erase an early deficit and briefly take control.
Boston trailed 61-56 late in the second quarter before Brown sparked a 6-0 run with two layups to end the half. That sequence allowed the visitors to settle down after uneven defensive drills.
The game heated up in the third period as Sacramento mounted its strongest offense of the night. After Boston briefly increased the margin to eight, the Kings rallied to take a four-point lead before the teams entered fourth place tied at 88.
Derrick White provided the decisive moment by drilling a tiebreaker three-pointer to give Boston a 93-90 lead with 10:45 remaining. The guard finished with 16 points and seven assists and provided steady control late.
Sacramento pulled within 104-100 with 6:30 to go, but Boston responded evenly. Brown converted a three-point play and White followed with another three during an 11-2 run that pushed the lead to 115-102 with less than three minutes to play.
Payton Pritchard added 16 points and six assists, while Sam Hauser knocked down five 3-pointers for 15 points. Anfernee Simons scored 14 off the bench as Boston shot 51 percent overall and 41 percent from deep.
For Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan led with 25 points and six assists, while Dennis Schroder scored 18 and Keon Ellis added 16. The loss dropped the Kings to 8-26 and marked their ninth loss in 11 games.
The Celtics continue their road trip against the Clippers on Saturday, while the Kings travel to Phoenix to try to stop their deficit.
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