Kings end Celtics 10 game win run

Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) takes a shot over Boston Celtics guard Carsen Edwards (4) [USA Today Sports]

 

Richaun Holmes hit a pair of go-ahead free throws with 13.3 seconds left as the host Sacramento Kings ended the Boston Celtics’ 10-game winning streak with a 100-99 victory Sunday afternoon.

 

Buddy Hield led all scorers with 35 points and hit seven 3-pointers as the Kings won for the fifth time in seven games. Nemanja Bjelica (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (12 points, 10 assists) each had double-doubles.

Jaylen Brown led six Celtics in double figures with 18 points, and Daniel Theis had 10 rebounds to go with his 14 points. Boston lost for the first time since its season opener Oct. 23.

The game featured 24 lead changes and nine ties. After Marcus Smart was assessed a loose ball foul on a scrum under the net that withstood a coach’s challenge, Holmes put Sacramento up for good with his two makes. Smart had a shot at the buzzer bounce off the rim to seal the result.

Jayson Tatum followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer to put the Celtics up 93-88 with 3:48 remaining. A Hield three completed an 8-2 run for the Kings for the lead at 1:52. Tatum and Hield traded baskets, and a Theis dunk made it 99-98 Boston with 52.9 ticks to go.

Down by four at halftime, the Celtics grabbed their first lead since 6:11 of the opening period when a Brown basket put them up 56-55 with 8:08 to go. After the lead changed hands nine times, Boston finally gained separation when a Brown three made it 73-69 with 56 seconds left in the third.

The Celtics entered the fourth up 75-71. The Kings scored 12 unanswered midway through the first, leading by as much as 13 before finishing the quarter up 30-18. After the Celtics got as close as within four, Sacramento went back up by 10, 46-36, on a Harrison Barnes trey with 2:57 to go in the second. Smart’s 3-pointer with 32.8 seconds remaining helped Boston claw back to within four, 50-46, at the half. Hield led all scorers at the break with 16 points.