Celtics use big fourth quarter to close out Kings in 14-point win

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The Boston Celtics continued their longest road trip of the season on Thursday night, heading to Sacramento for their third of four games on the West Coast. Taking on a Kings team that has struggled mightily all season, the Celtics could not find their rhythm early, dropping a first quarter contest for the fifth straight game, but were able to right the ship when it was most needed.

The matchup was tightly contested through the first three quarters, and even with the Kings playing much improved on the night, Boston pulled away thanks to their superstars stepping up in the fourth quarter. Derrick White struggled from the field for most of the game, but all starters except Jordan Walsh finished in double figures, with 7 Celtics total ending the game with double digit point totals.

Here's a quick recap of the Celtics 14-point victory over the Kings on Thursday:

Final score: Boston Celtics 120, Sacramento Kings 106

Keys to the game:

Fourth quarter: Outscoring the Kings by 14 points in the final quarter, that was exactly what Boston needed to carry them to the victory. Derrick White struggled for most of the game, but put up 14 of his 16 total points in the fourth, coming up clutch with his two made 3-pointers in that time as well.

Bench contribution: Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons, and Hugo Gonzalez all showed up and performed well off the bench for Boston on Thursday night. As a unit, the bench scored 46 points, showing great balance from them and the starters. Sacramento had two big contributions off their bench from Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis who combined for 34 points, but Boston's bench unit did a little bit of everything to fill up the stat sheet.

Paint domination: In filling up the stat sheet, the Celtics outrebounded the Kings 40-32, and continued their control down low by putting up 50 points in the paint. Not only did Boston outrebound Sacramento, but they outscored them by 10 points in the paint, which was influenced by Neemias Queta who faced off against his former team that cut him.

Highlight of the night: Neemias Queta flushes big slam against his former team

What's next: @ Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday, January 3, 10:30PM ET, NBA TV

The Celtics will close out their West coast road trip on Saturday, while finishing off their two-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers. In their first matchup Boston pulled out a 121-118 victory which saw Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard combine for 63 points back in November. The Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past two weeks, winning five straight games although they're still 10 games under .500 on the season. Los Angeles is still led by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac who is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds on the year. Despite their poor record, the Clippers should bring a challenge to Boston which has struggled to get off to a good starts during the road trip.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics use big fourth quarter to close out Kings in 14-point win

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