Four Leaf Clover: Boston Celtics finally win one in Sacramento

The Boston Celtics extended their brief winning streak to three Sunday night against the Kings.

With players flying in and out of the lineup, the Boston Celtics stayed grounded once again and added another win to the record. This time, Marcus Morris sat out with an ankle injury as Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, and Gordon Hayward continue to sit out.

Here are four takeaways from the semi-thrilling performance:

What is the deal with Sacramento?

For some reason, before tonight, the Celtics had not won in Sacramento since 2011. As Celtics radio broadcaster Sean Grande pointed out, Shaq started at center the last time Boston won in Sac Town.

Since then, many starting centers have tried. Al Horford, Tyler Zeller, Kris Humphries, Jason Collins, and Brandon Bass all tried and failed.

The NBA even tried to extend the weirdest streak in the NBA by scheduling a Kings home game against the Celtics in Mexico City last year. Of course, the C’s won but they still couldn’t figure out how to win in the Big Tomato.

So, did they have to sign Shaq out of retirement? What needed to be done to get the Celtics to beat the Kings on the road? One of the worst NBA teams who sell half their home tickets was haunting one of the best organization’s in the league.

Finally, this past offseason, Danny Ainge got the center he needed to win in Sacramento. The Aron Baynes signing finally paid off. After months of waiting, Baynes got it done. The Celtics beat the Kings in a road game and the world is right again.

Terry Rozier is growing up right before our eyes

When the Celtics first drafted Terry Rozier, almost no one thought it was the right pick. Terry himself went down memory lane recently and retweed this comment about the selection.

Now, almost three years after the pick, Rozier is coming into his own. Not only that, but Rozier is looking a lot better than many selected before him.

Jahlil Okafor, Mario Hezonja, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Cameron Payne are all bench players on bad teams. Willie Cauley-Stein, Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky, and Trey Lyles are giving about equal or lower value compared to Rozier. No one drafted after him is significantly better. Only Karl Anthony-Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Devin Booker, and Myles Turner are head and shoulders above Terry Rozier.

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Tonight, Terry gave another example of why he will be a starting point guard one day. Filling in for Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving once again, Rozier went 8-12 from three for a career high 33 points. Just for kicks, he had 5 assists and 5 steals.  He has been everything and more Brad Stevens could have asked for at point guard. Whether on the Celtics or not, he should thrive for years to come.

Welcome back, Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown went against the trend and actually came back from an injury. He did not show anything incredibly great or awful, but it was assuring to see him out there as his normal self.

One thing that was noticeable in Brown’s abscense was the lack of an elite transition finisher. Jayson Tatum will get there one day, but Brown is getting to be elite. When he is out, Al Horford’s layups and Greg Monroe’s scoop shots don’t exactly get it done in the “thrill” department.

Soon, he and Tatum should give the C’s an exciting and young fastbreak game. Until then, please stay healthy, Jaylen.

The Big 5-0

Tonight’s win in Sacramento also gave the Celtics their 50th win of the season. It is Boston’s second in a row and the 33rd in franchise history. Just an nice little tidbit to throw in at the end here. When you play the Kings, these types of paragraphs will happen.

Next: The 5 greatest Boston Celtics guards of all time

What’s Next?

The Celtics get right back at it tomorrow against the Suns. With any luck, Devin Booker won’t score 70 and Tyler Ulis will stay away from any buzzer beaters.