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Harsh lessons from 100-67 trouncing of Celtics by Kings

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 At the 7:11 mark of the first quarter, it looked like this Summer League Title game night be a walkaway for Boston over Sacramento. The score was 12-2 in favor of the Celtics, but things got out of hand quite rapidly. The final score of 100-67 and a Sacramento victory tells most of the lurid tale.


Payton Pritchard's shooting arm had to be fatigued from his 92-point output in the Portland Pro-Am. And the intense defensive pressure of the Kings' Davion Mitchell didn't help Payton's cause. He scored only six points on 3-of-9 from the field and 0-of-6 on 3-pointers. Many of his shots fell short of the rim, showing his fatigue.

Sacramento's defense and transition points off Boston's 28 turnovers were the main culprits for The Green. The Kings only racked up seven turnovers in the contest. They picked up 18 steals to Boston's two, and made the most of those opportunities to score.

The Kings were constantly firing away, totaling 95 shot attempts to the Celtics 59. Conversely, The Celtics went back to their bad habit of 3-point mania, hitting only seven of their 36 attempts from behind the arc. None of this was pretty, and it was hard to watch.

The Sacramento Kings revealed once again that stifling defense wins key games, and Brad Stevens re-signing of Marcus Smart was just that - damn smart. It appears that Mitchell will be a defensive force for the Kings this season. Sacramento's defense  generated those 28 miscues by Boston, and their transition was fast and effective.

That may be the main lesson for The Green. Tough defensive pressure with no lapses and a relentless transition game produce wins. Something for Ime Udoka to work on with his troops come training camp time. 


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