Rajon Rondo already had victimized the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week and had his sights set on taking down his other former team, the Boston Celtics, on Thursday night.
So, how did that go? Rondo got ejected in the third quarter, and the Sacramento Kings lost by 17.
The Celtics led nearly the entire game, opening up a 15-point lead in the first quarter and not looking back to cruise to a 114-97 win over Sacramento in Mexico City in a contest played as part of the NBA Global Games 2015.
Boston benefited from an incredibly balanced offensive attack, with four scorers reaching the 20-point mark: Isaiah Thomas (21), Kelly Olynyk (21), Avery Bradley (20) and Jae Crowder (20) . Rondo finished with five points before getting tossed for staring down a referee, and Rudy Gay led Sacramento with 18 points.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
A TALE OF TWO DEFENSES
The Celtics brought their defense to Mexico City. The Kings, apparently, did not.
Boston’s defensive unit was stifling in the first quarter, holding Sacramento to 17 points on 8 for 27 shooting (30 percent) and forcing five Kings turnovers.
The Kings, meanwhile, didn’t look too interested in stopping the Celtics, who poured in 32 points in the game’s first 12 minutes.
KING OF THE COURT
Thomas put on a show against his former team.
Thomas, who spent three seasons in Sacramento, went off for 21Â points — including 19 in the first half — while tallying nine assists and six rebounds. He knocked down 3 of 6 3-pointers, often sending glares at the Kings’ bench after made baskets.
The 5-foot-9 point guard also stepped up on the defensive end, tallying a season-high four steals and breaking up a Rondo pass to DeMarcus Cousins with this impressive effort in the first quarter:
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Rondo wasn’t the only frustrated King in Mexico City.
All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins had a brutal first half, tallying five points, three turnovers and three personal fouls while shooting just 2 for 12 from the field. He managed to score 11 in the second half to finish with 16 points, marking the first time he hadn’t reached 20 points since Oct. 31.
Cousins also tallied just seven rebounds and looked pretty disengaged on the defensive end.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
There were plenty of highlights to go around, but Olynyk takes the cake with this monster jam in the fourth quarter:
UP NEXT
The Celtics will be welcomed back stateside Saturday by the red-hot San Antonio Spurs, who stand at 16-4 after winning seven of their last eight. Tipoff in San Antonio is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Instagram/celtics
