NBA regular season game between the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics.
progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – The Sacramento Kings will host the Boston Celtics in a non-conference NBA game at the Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at 10:00 PM EST. This game also features an interesting matchup between two veteran players: Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics and Russell Westbrook of the Sacramento Kings.
The game between these two teams is expected to be quite close. The Sacramento Kings will be trying hard to bounce back after a home loss to the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are currently on a strong momentum after defeating the Utah Jazz yesterday.
With Jayson Tatum’s return to the court still uncertain, Jaylen Brown will remain the leader of the Boston Celtics, supported by Derrick White. The Sacramento Kings will still rely on Russell Westbrook and the physically strong DeMar DeRozan to help their team regain momentum.
Boston Celtics More Dominant
Previously, the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics have faced each other four times in the last two seasons. The Boston Celtics have a significant advantage, winning three of those four games, including a decisive 113-95 victory in March 2025. The Sacramento Kings’ only victory against the Boston Celtics was in January 2025 with a score of 114-97 at TD Garden, Boston.
Overall, the Boston Celtics have also recorded a long winning streak in NBA games, including six consecutive wins since April 2024. Against the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics are also more dominant due to their consistent scoring and solid defense.
Currently, the Sacramento Kings are ranked 14th in the Western Conference standings with a 25% winning percentage. The Sacramento Kings have only won 8 out of 32 games, averaging 111.69 points per game.
Conversely, the Boston Celtics, who are in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings, have a 61% winning percentage. The Celtics have won 19 out of 31 games played, averaging 116.52 points per game.
60% Probability
In their last 40 games, the Sacramento Kings have lost 29 times. This is different from the Boston Celtics, who have won 15 of their last 20 games.
Therefore, the conclusion reached based on the Forebet algorithm prediction is that the Boston Celtics are the strongest choice to win this game with a probability of 60%.
Another strong reason is that the Boston Celtics have an excellent record, averaging 117.4 points, 43.0 rebounds, 22.7 assists, 8.1 steals, and 5.5 blocks per game. Their field goal percentage is 48.1%. Impressive, right?
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings’ record is still considered standard, averaging 110.8 points with a 77.5% free throw conversion rate. It’s strange but true, this team seems vulnerable to being easily defeated, as they consistently allow their opponents to make 28.3 assists and 46.5 total rebounds per game. The result is disastrous. The Sacramento Kings are forced into their rightful place at the bottom, in 5th position in the Pacific Division standings. The LA Lakers lead this group.
The contrast is like night and day when compared to the Boston Celtics. In the Atlantic Division standings, the Boston Celtics are in 2nd place out of five teams in the group. The New York Knicks are currently leading the group, one position ahead of the Boston Celtics.
Another interesting point for prediction purposes is that the Boston Celtics have a 10-7 record in away games with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.2%. The Sacramento Kings, on the other hand, only average 10.7 three-pointers per game this season. This is still 3.5 fewer than the 14.2 of the Boston Celtics.
For this game, Russell Westbrook remains a key player for the Sacramento Kings. He has a record of 14.6 points per game with 6.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists. His teammate, DeMar DeRozan, averages 22.0 points and 4.0 rebounds with a 47.1% shooting percentage in the last 10 games.
For the Boston Celtics, the performance is still led by two players: Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. Both players have consistently shown brilliant performances. Derrick White averages 18.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks. Jaylen Brown averages 23.0 points and 6.0 rebounds with a 47.4% shooting percentage in the last 10 games.
Sacramento Kings Injured Players:
1). Zach LaVine: injured (ankle)
2). Domantas Sabonis: injured (knee).
Boston Celtics Injured Players:
1). Jayson Tatum: out (Achilles tendon injury).
2). Chris Boucher: day-to-day (personal reasons). (Bembo)
