10 takeaways from a disciplined Celtics effort against the Kings

The Celtics struggled early on defense, but once the stops came, everything followed. Role players stepped up, court mapping was sharp, and Mazzulla’s group controlled the tempo on both ends. A win built on balance, patience, and trust.

#1 – Poor defensive execution to start the game

Early in the game, it felt like the Celtics were out of rhythm defensively. The rotations looked disorganized, and the discipline wasn’t good enough. On the play below, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are both on DeMar DeRozan. This takes away any help at the rim, so they must stay in front of him.

Instead, they both got caught by the guard’s pump fake, and the double team turned into an open layup for the Kings star.

In less than six minutes, the Kings scored more than 20 points. They would end up scoring only 75 in the next 42 minutes. Because of their lack of defensive stops, the Celtics couldn’t get their offense going early in the game. Indeed, as mentioned before, Mazzulla-ball starts on defense.

Once the stops started to pile up, the offense was able to get going.

#2 – Better defense turned into great offense

With improved defense after a timeout, the Celtics’ switches were more accurate, leading the Kings to settle for contested mid-ranges and layups. These poor offensive possessions from Sacramento allowed the Celtics’ offense to be quickly reborn after a slow start.

Like Joe Mazzulla said, the offensive game plan depends on whether they play off a miss or a make. Against Sacramento’s well-prepared defense, it was hard to crack their shell at first, but transition offense gave the Celtics a chance to come back before the lead got too big.

Thanks to two three-pointers to close the quarter, the Celtics took the lead before the second quarter despite a slow start, and remained in control afterward. One of the reasons they were able to stay in front was the half-court offense built around Kristaps Porzingis.

#3 – Porzingis offensive hub

Despite finishing the game with only two assists, it’s safe to say the Celtics are trying to involve Porzingis in the offensive creation process. The Latvian is one of the best finishers in the league—at the rim and from deep. However, the creation has been inconsistent since he was traded to the Celtics.

The reason is that the Celtics have placed a big emphasis on using him off-ball to stretch the floor. Most of his touches come from post-ups once he has a mismatch or to shoot a spot-up triple. Yet, in the last few games, we’ve seen him more involved in creation.

Last night, for example, from the top of the key or on-side actions, the Celtics gave the ball to the big man and moved around him. With his size, gravity, and touch, playing these sorts of actions breaks the defensive shell.

On the action below, he is the initiator but also finishes the play, a great example of his overall offensive potential. Off-ball, he stretches the floor, but with the rock in his hands, too. These setups often drag the rim protector away from the paint and force the opposing defense to rotate.

It also gets forgotten sometimes that Porzingis can drive, especially against another big man. Giving him the ball on an empty side, like on the play below, is another great way to involve him offensively, beyond the usual post-up or pick-and-pop.

Overall, there is a strong sense that with more movement—around him or for him—Kristaps Porzingis could take another step toward becoming the elite offensive player he can be.

#4 – Derrick White as an initiator

Behind Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics guard was able to keep the offensive flow going after Jayson Tatum exited due to an ankle injury. The Celtics started the fourth quarter without their go-to guy, holding a 10-point lead. With four assists and two made field goals, Derrick White led the charge and orchestrated the offense to close the game.

To start the fourth, the Celtics coaching staff called a play for him and rookie Baylor Scheierman: a ghost screen on the ball for number 55, followed by a flare screen from Luke Kornet. White’s scoring gravity and accurate pass to Scheierman in motion increased the lead to 13.

On another defensive stop, White ran with the ball and put the defense on its heels. He faked a handoff with Jrue Holiday and drove to his right into an open paint while the defense was still trying to get set.

A little later, they ran the same play from earlier with Scheierman, but this time with Payton Pritchard. However, in this setup, White didn’t pass to the shooter but gave the ball to Kornet, then immediately ran off another flare screen from Holiday.

The lead was now up to 15—a great example of how the Celtics coaching staff can optimize Derrick White’s great feel for the game to keep performing without the All-Stars on the court.

#5 – Kornet vs. Sabonis and the rebound battle

The last time the Celtics faced the Kings, they were dominated in the paint, with 28 rebounds from the Kings big man—eight of them on offense, leading to defensive breakdowns from the Celtics. But last night, Kornet and the Celtics were having none of it.

While Kornet dominated on both boards, the Celtics as a team limited the Kings’ offensive rebounding volume. At the end of the game, Sacramento was held to a 19% offensive rebound rate—far from their season average (28%).

#6 – Celtics defensive playmaking

Another example of how the Celtics coaching staff loves to take away opponents’ strengths was the emphasis on defensive playmaking. Defensive playmaking is the ability—or willingness—to create turnovers and fast breaks from steals and blocks. Last night against the Kings, one of the best teams at taking care of the ball, the Celtics were more aggressive than usual, leading to more steals and blocks than normal.

As mentioned in #2, piling up defensive stops leads to better offense, giving the Celtics an opportunity to attack the Kings before they could set up in zone defense. Yet, when the Kings did settle in, the Celtics used their offensive joker: Payton Pritchard.

#7 – Pritchard the zone buster, help beater

The Sacramento Kings defense was designed to take away Celtics drives and close access to the rim. It worked pretty well—the Celtics had only nine shot attempts at the rim. However, they were able to compensate thanks to Payton Pritchard as a zone buster.

By positioning the Celtics’ sixth man above the break, one pass away from the ball handler, they were ready to punish any aggressive zone defense or any help from the strong side.

This smart court mapping with Pritchard neutralized the Kings’ defensive scheme.

#8 – Scheierman winning minutes

With Jayson Tatum out for the fourth, the Celtics needed the rookie to step up—again. And he delivered—again. To open the fourth, he nailed the three-pointer from the play the Celtics coaching staff designed for him, as mentioned above.

In the last quarter, he provided solid minutes once more—dominating the boards, staying in front on defense, and shooting the ball whenever he was open. 28 minutes overall, confirming the trust the coaching staff has in him.

#9 – Two hidden gems from Jaylen Brown

Unfortunately, passes that don’t end up in an assist are often forgotten. Last night, Jaylen Brown had two of those in his return to the court. First, a beautiful drive-and-kick to find Jayson Tatum open for three after attacking Sabonis.

The second came in the third quarter, after a pick-and-roll with Kornet, who was able to draw the foul. Brown crossed Murray and found the Celtics center rolling to the rim despite a crowded paint.

A great illustration of Jaylen Brown’s improved passing and the limitations of the box score.

#10 – A play to sum up the bench performance

Last night’s bench unit was very important, as Jaylen Brown was just coming back from injury while Sam Hauser and Al Horford were resting after the Portland game. Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, and Luke Kornet were all required to perform on both ends—and they did. This play sums it all up:

Luke Kornet switches onto DeMar DeRozan and baits him into driving, then blocks his shot to launch another transition opportunity. Despite a first miss, Pritchard and Scheierman followed up with a great highlight. 22 points for PP, 13 for Kornet (alongside four offensive rebounds), and three-for-six from deep for the rookie—a great bench production overall.