Boston Celtics defeat Sacramento Kings, second half analysis
The Sacramento Kings took a nine-point lead over the Boston Celtics at the end of the first half.
Third quarter
Shaquille O’Neal opened the third quarter with a dunk shot after getting an assist from Paul Pierce.
The Kings missed a couple of shots until Semih Udrih clinched a layup that was followed by a three-pointer that Omri Casspi missed. Pierce succeeded in dishing out a reverse layup to go 51-56, closing on the opposition.
At that point, Tyreke Evans came up with a three-pointer to take the lead even further, 59-51. DeMarcus Cousins committed a shooting foul that resulted in two free throws for the Celtics, savoured by Kevin Garnett like heavenly food. This took the Celtics, 53-59 at the 8:47 mark.
The Kings never let go of the lead and kept pacing forward with more and more shots. Cousins dominated the floor most of the third quarter. He pulled out a three-pointer when the Celtics had moved closer, 65-66. The three-pointer edged the Kings at 69-65 once again.
Sacramento fumbled a bit at the end of the third quarter and the Celtics took complete advantage of that, going 74-71 with some tenacious shots from Pierce and Kendrick Perkins.
Fourth quarter
The Celtics entered the fourth quarter leading the Sacramento Kings with three points. But Perkins was there to stay. The player produced a layup shot assisted by Rajon Rondo to move five points above the Kings.
The Celtic lead deteriorated in the blink of an eye as the Kings moved forward with new resolve. Cousins came forward to take a tip shot, heading with 73, while the Celtics enjoyed being at 78.
Boston Celtics faltered after the 10:19 mark, seeing a three-pointer missed by Nate Robinson, as well as a jumper missed by Rondo. Cousins narrowed the gap with a jumper, to go 77-78, but at that moment, Robinson followed closely.
The player took a driving layup to take Boston up by four, and Allen’s three-pointer summed up for 83-77, over Sacramento, on the 7:06 mark.
Casspi shot a three-pointer with 5 minutes left in the buzzer, scoring eight for himself and 80 for the Kings. Glen Davis’s foul produced two free throws for the faltering Kings that were trounced by Cousins, who secured 18 points at that point.
The Kings were snappy but they made some bad passes in the last minutes of the game. The Celtics missed a number of shots too, but they had already secured a lead. Semih Udrih’s foul was the last one for the Kings, as Davis savoured the free throws. The free throws were followed by a three-pointer clinched by Evans on the final 3.3 seconds of the game.
Boston Celtics defeat Sacramento Kings at home by five points, 95-90.
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