‘I love Sacramento’: Richaun Holmes addresses future with Kings after win over Celtics
Kings center Richaun Holmes has put himself in a position to cash in as a free agent this summer, so he made a stop at the bank Friday night in Boston.
Holmes banked in a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and blocked two shots by Jaylen Brown in the final minutes, helping the Kings beat the Boston Celtics 107-96 at TD Garden.
Holmes posted his 15th double-double of the season and his fifth in the last six games, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. He made 7 of 11 from the field, converted 10 of 12 at the free-throw line and got a friendly bounce on his seventh 3-point attempt of the season to give his team a four-point lead with 3:32 remaining.
“He can shoot the 3,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “Part of my negotiation for bringing him back next year is going to be to green-light him to shoot those.”
Holmes will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. At this point, Holmes doesn’t know if the Kings will trade him before next week’s deadline or re-sign him to a lucrative new deal this summer, but he made it clear he would like to remain in Sacramento.
“I can’t say enough how much I love this city, love these fans, love my teammates, love stepping out there with Sacramento on my jersey, representing this city,” Holmes said. “It’s been some of the best times of my life. The opportunity to play on the floor and be able to represent this city, the city that gave me the opportunity to come out here and embraced me with open arms — I love Sacramento and I love playing here.”
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 29 points for the Kings (17-24), who have won back-to-back games in the middle of their six-game road trip. Buddy Hield made 6 of 13 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points. Harrison Barnes also posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Brown scored 19 points on 8-of-20 shooting for the Celtics (20-21), who lost their third game in a row with team president Danny Ainge and the rest of the Boston brain trust sitting courtside. Kemba Walker added 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Jayson Tatum was held to 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
The Kings shot 45.7% and made 12 of 30 (.400) from 3-point range while holding the Celtics to 42.9% shooting. The Kings blocked nine shots, came up with six steals and only sent the Celtics to the free-throw line seven times. The Kings allowed only 15 points in the fourth quarter to complete their first season sweep of the Celtics since 2006-07.
“Defensively, very proud of the group as far as the effort we gave tonight,” Walton said. “Defending without fouling, getting back, communicating, all the little things we’re always preaching about.”
The Kings made 10 of their first 15 shots to outscore the Celtics 26-16 over the first eight minutes. Sacramento led 28-22 at the end of the first quarter, pushed the lead back up to double-digits midway through the second quarter and carried a 55-45 advantage into the halftime break.
The Kings shot 48.8% in the opening half, knocked down 6 of 13 from 3-point range and converted 9 of 10 free-throw attempts. The Celtics shot just 38.3% and finished the half with more turnovers (9) than assists (8).
The Kings went up by 14 on two free throws by Fox early in the third quarter, but they were clinging to a one-point lead going into the fourth. The teams traded leads a number of times in the fourth quarter, but the Kings finished with a flourish, outscoring the Celtics 21-9 over the final 6:47.
Buddy Buckets
Hield had the hot hand early, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range to score 11 points in the opening period. Hield’s hot shooting continued a recent trend for the 28-year-old shooting guard.
Hield made 35 of 82 (.427) from 3-point range in the previous seven games. He came into the game shooting 40.3% from long distance in March after connecting on just 32.5% in February.
This wasn’t the first time Hield has come out blazing in Beantown. Hield scored 41 points in a 103-102 loss to the Celtics when the Kings last visited TD Garden on Nov. 25, 2019. He made 15 of 26 from the field and 11 of 21 from 3-point range in that contest.
Up next
The fifth stop on this six-game road trip will take the Kings back down the Atlantic Coast to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center.
The Kings will be playing their third game in four nights on the second night of a back-to-back. The other problem is they’re playing the 76ers (28-13), who had two days off after suffering an overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
The loss to Milwaukee snapped a six-game winning streak for Philadelphia. Star center Joel Embiid is out with a bone bruise in his left knee. Seth Curry, who played 44 games for the Kings in 2015-16, will also be out after spraining his left ankle in the loss to the Bucks.
The 76ers are still quite formidable with Tobias Harris and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Harris is averaging 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Simmons averages 15.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (left fourth metacarpal fracture); Chimezie Metu (right wrist fracture).
Celtics: OUT — Romeo Langford (health and safety protocols); Tristan Thompson (health and safety protocols).
Kings upcoming schedule
March 20 at Philadelphia 76ers, 5 p.m.
March 22 at Cleveland Cavaliers, 4:30 p.m.
March 24 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m.
March 25 vs. Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
March 27 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 8:24 PM.
