BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum had 20 and the Boston Celtics held off the Sacramento Kings 103-102 despite a career-high 41 points from Buddy Hield on Monday night.
Marcus Smart had 17 points with seven assists, and Enes Kanter added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost the final two games of a 2-3 West Coast trip.
Harrison Barnes added 20 points for the Kings, who had won 7 of 10. Hield was 15 of 26 from the floor and went 11 for 21 on 3-point attempts.
Hield hit his 11th 3-pointer to cut Sacramento’s deficit to 97-96. Brown countered with a short jumper in the lane before Cory Joseph tied it with a 3 in front of Boston’s bench with 1:06 to play.
Smart sandwiched two baskets around a 3 by Bogdan Bogdanovic, the second a spinning shot with 31 seconds to go that pushed the Celtics ahead 103-102. The first bounced off the front of the rim and fell in.
Smart then stole it from Bogdanovic but had the ball slapped away going for a fast-break basket. Tatum airballed a long shot from the right corner, and Hield grabbed the rebound with 5.7 seconds left.
Bogdanovic’s long jumper bounced off the rim, and the ball was tipped out of bounds in a battle for the rebound as time expired.
Hield scored 21 points in the third quarter, going 8 for 11 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, and the teams entered the fourth tied at 75. Brown had nine in the quarter.
But, at the start of the fourth, Hield headed to the locker room and a trainer was stretching both of Brown’s legs while he was on his back at the side of the bench.
Both returned midway into the final quarter.
TIP-INS
Kings: In their last meeting against the Celtics, Hield had a game-high 35 points for his only other 30-point game this season in a one-point victory. It was his 10th career game of 30 or more, and three have come against Boston. ... Richaun Holmes entered tied for the league lead in field goal percentage (66.1).
Celtics: Head team physician Dr. Tony Schena said Kemba Walker (neck strain) didn’t suffer a serious injury in Friday’s collision with a teammate, but the Celtics were going to keep him out until he goes through a full practice, which is expected to be Tuesday. The doctor said Walker didn’t have a concussion, but the team is going through the protocol. ... C Daniel Theis was sidelined due to an illness. ... Gordon Hayward (fractured left hand) worked out Sunday without a brace and sat on the bench in street clothes without one Monday.
MOPPING UP
The ball got stuck between the shot clock and top of backboard in the first quarter. Smart grabbed a mop, turned it upside down and pushed the ball free with the handle.
UP NEXT
Kings: At the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in the finale of a four-game trip.
Celtics: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday in what would have been Kyrie Irving’s return, but he’s expected to be sidelined with a shoulder injury.
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