SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 111-109 win over Sacramento.
STARS
Gordon Hayward: After dropping 30 points in a Celtics win at Golden State on Tuesday, Hayward did one better in delivering the game-winning shot. He finished with 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Jayson Tatum: With no Kyrie Irving (left thigh contusion) on the floor, Tatum was noticeably more aggressive shooting the ball before finishing with a team-high 24 points.
Buddy Hield: One of the NBA’s most improved players this season, Hield was giving the Celtics problems both from 3-point range as well as off the dribble for finishes at the rim. For the game, he had 23 points and eight rebounds.
☘️ CELTICS 111, KINGS 109
STUDS
Boston Celtics
Al Horford: The play of Horford in the third quarter was exactly what the Celtics needed to get a little breathing room for Boston. Horford finished with 21 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter. Horford also grabbed 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double this season along with dishing out seven assists.
Harrison Barnes: It was an efficient night shooting the ball for Barnes, leading all Sacramento players with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting to go with eight rebounds and two steals.
Willie Cauley-Stein: The Sacramento Kings did a good job of getting Cauley-Stein in great position to score and to his credit, he made the most of it by tallying 19 points along with seven rebounds.
De’Aaron Fox: There are few in the NBA who can play the speed game better than Fox, who used that quickness to score 16 points in addition to tallying seven assists.
DUDS
Celtics turnovers: Usually a low-turnover team, the Celtics committed 18 turnovers on Wednesday which led to 17 points for the Kings.
Boston’s transition defense: Sacramento puts a tremendous amount of pressure on teams when it comes to defending them in transition, and the Celtics for large chunks of Wednesday night struggled to be effective. Sacramento wound up outscoring Boston 23-9 in fast-break points for the game.
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