Final, Celtics 106-84: That will do it for this one, and for 2014. The Celtics will be back in action Friday, when Rajon Rondo returns to TD Garden for the first time in a Dallas Mavericks uniform.
Fourth quarter 2:13, Celtics 101-75: It’s Gino Time in Boston, and you can just about put this one in the books.
Fourth quarter 7:31, Celtics 90-69: DeMarcus Cousins finally loses it, throwing Smart to the quarter after a hard box-out by the rookie. Both are hit with technical fouls, resulting in Cousins’ ejection.
Here’s the sequence, via @MrTrpleDouble10:
It’s safe to say this game will not be included in the Boogie Cousins highlight reel.
Fourth quarter 8:31, Celtics 87-67: The Celtics have their largest lead of the day, and their bench is doing all the work so far in the third quarter. The backcourt combo of Jameer Nelson and Marcus Smart, in particular, is working wonder.
Boston’s bench is outscoring its Sacramento counterpart 39-23.
End third quarter, Celtics 77-61: Marcus Smart buries a corner three with less than five seconds to play, and the Celtics will enter the final 12 minutes with a 16-point lead.
Third quarter 5:54, Celtics 60-50:
[tweet https://twitter.com/ZackCoxNESN/status/550373414830346240 align=’center’]
Turner then headed to the bench with four fouls, with Jameer Nelson replacing him.
Shortly after, Tyler Zeller committed a hard foul on DeMarcus Cousins that the refs deemed to be flagrant. He takes a seat, as well, and is replaced by Kelly Olynyk.
Third quarter 9:15, Celtics 57-42: Jared Sullinger hasn’t slowed down here in the third. He has four points and two blocks in the first two-plus minutes of the quarter. Evan Turner also has two points and one assist to tie his career high with nine helpers.
Third quarter 11:59, Celtics 49-39: The Celtics send their same starting five out to begin the second half.
Halftime, Celtics 49-39: Brandan Wright throws down a dunk off a dish from Evan Turner, and the C’s take a double-digit lead into the locker room. Wright played just five minutes in the first half but impressed, scoring four points on three shots and grabbing two rebounds.
Second quarter 2:57, Celtics 41-33: Evan Turner gives away the ball but makes up for it with a steal on the other end, much to the chagrin of Cousins.
The Celtics actually have been very good in the turnover department today, coughing it up just three times to the Kings’ nine. Turner also has done a nice job in his role as starting point guard. He leads all players with six assists.
Second quarter 8:05, Celtics 27-25: DeMarcus Cousins has NOT been a happy camper so far this afternoon. He already already has one tech, and he’s been very demonstrative with his after-the-whistle antics. Cousins did throw down a fierce dunk over Tyler Zeller, but Zeller returned the favor the Celtics’ next trip down the court.
End first quarter, Celtics 23-19: Kelly Olynyk came up with two nifty drives to the basket in the final minutes of the first quarter, and the C’s take a four-point lead into the second.
Avery Bradley leads Boston with six points, and Jeff Green is the only Celtics starter who failed to register a point in the frame. He’s having a very quiet afternoon thus far, missing each of his three shots and grabbing one rebound.
First quarter 2:51, Celtics 17-14: Brandon Bass is seeing some early minutes here today. He’s been buried under Brandan Wright in the rotation since the Rajon Rondo trade.
First quarter 4:30, Celtics 17-9: Evan Turner gets a piece of a Cousins 3-pointer and turns it into a dunk at the other end, and that’s what finally pushes Cousins over the edge. After arguing calls throughout the first seven minutes, he’s hit with a technical foul.
First quarter 8:21, Celtics 9-0: The key for the Celtics today will be containing DeMarcus Cousins, and they’ve done a nice job of it so far. The Kings big man has missed each of his first five starts, while Boston’s frontcourt duo of Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller have five of the Celtics’ nine points.
First quarter 11:59, 0-0: Tyler Zeller wins the opening tip for the the Celtics, and we are underway.
The Kings are looking decidedly less purple today, as they’re wearing their red-white-and-blue Rochester Royals alternates. A pretty fresh look, in my opinion.
12:10 p.m. ET: Brad Stevens will ring in the new year by starting his third different point guard in the last five games for the Boston Celtics.
Evan Turner will get the nod as the Celtics host the Sacramento Kings in a New Year’s Eve matinee, with Stevens citing Turner’s ability to penetrate and success in two starts earlier this season as the motivation behind the switch.
Marcus Smart, who Stevens said had one of his best practices to date Tuesday, and Jameer Nelson will come off the bench.
“We’re still searching (for consistency in the starting lineup),” Stevens said. “But we’ve got to stop searching soon. That’s the bottom line. But I’m hopeful (inserting Turner) will be a good change.”
In other lineup news, Jared Sullinger is available for the C’s and should assume his usual spot in the starting five, but Marcus Thornton will sit out his eighth straight game despite practicing Monday and Tuesday.
James Young also will be inactive for Boston, as the team assigned him to the Maine Red Claws before the game. Stevens did note, however, that he was “encouraged” by the rookie’s work in practice this week.
“I just thought it would be better for him to be playing (Wednesday) rather than sitting in a suit,” Stevens said.
Here are the projected starting lineups:
Celtics
Evan Turner
Avery Bradley
Jeff Green
Jared Sullinger
Tyler Zeller
Kings
Darren Collison
Ben McLemore
Rudy Gay
Ryan Hollins
DeMarcus Cousins
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Follow along with all the action right here, and follow NESN.com Celtics beat writer Zack Cox on Twitter for instant updates and analysis.
Photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
