Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, 1/1/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Sacramento Kings

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA

TV: NBA TV

The Sacramento Kings (8-24) will play the Boston Celtics (19-12) at Golden 1 Center on Thursday.

The Celtics took the court against the Trail Blazers and took a loss by a score of 114-108 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Celtics finished with 23 while the Trail Blazers recorded 19 personal fouls. They also buried 18 out of their 51 tries from beyond the perimeter. Portland finished the game shooting 57.1% from the charity stripe by burying 12 of their 21 attempts. In addition, Portland collected 48 boards (16 offensive, 32 defensive) and earned 5 blocked shots. Portland distributed 26 assists and had 8 steals for this game. With regard to defense, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 47.2% from the field on 42 out of 89 shooting. They also doled out 19 assists in the game as well as creating 21 turnovers and earning 13 steals. When discussing rebounding, they earned a total of 40 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Celtics buried 15 of their 19 attempts for a percentage of 78.9%. Boston wrapped up the contest having earned a 44.0% FG percentage (40 of 91) and made 13 out of their 44 shots from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Brown is a guy who came through in this matchup. Brown ended up shooting 60.9% from the field and earned 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and collected 7 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 37 points on 14 out of 23 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Parlay Picks

Boston will play this contest with a win-loss record of 19-12 for the campaign. They have an average of 116.5 points per game (16th in the NBA) while going 47.2% from the floor. The Celtics are connecting on 36.4% on shots from distance (484 of 1,328) and 78.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Boston is collecting 43.9 boards per game and has accounted for 737 dimes so far this year, which is 29th in the league in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.4 times per game and as a group they are committing 22.0 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics are able to force 14.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.5 fouls. They are conceding 37.0% on shots from distance and they are ranked 2nd in the NBA in opponents points per game (110.5). The Celtics defense is allowing a FG percentage of 44.8% (1,192 of 2,662) and they surrender 42.5 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 4th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 771 conceded on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Kings took a loss by a score of 125-101 when they faced the Lakers. The Kings were able to collect 29 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this contest. They also turned it over 19 times, while getting 11 steals in this game. The Lakers earned 19 fouls in the matchup which took the Kings to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to make 13 of them for a rate of 68.4%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Sacramento converted 8 out of 29 attempts (27.6%). In all, the Kings finished the game shooting 40 for 83 from the floor which had them sitting at 48.2%. The Kings permitted the Lakers to convert 47 out of their 89 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 52.8% for this game. They finished 39.5% from distance by connecting on 15 of 38 and ended up going 16 out of 18 at the free throw line (88.9%). When discussing how they attacked the glass, Sacramento allowed Los Angeles to collect 41 in all (8 offensive).

DeMar DeRozan ended up being a major contributor for the Kings for this contest. He converted 8 of 17 for the game for a field goal rate of 47.1%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. DeRozan racked up 22 points in his 34 minutes of playing time and had 5 assists for the matchup.

Sacramento has a win-loss mark of 8-24 for the year. The Kings are responsible for committing 20.5 fouls per contest and they go 75.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 25.6 times per game (20th in the NBA) and they turn it over 14.3 times per game. Sacramento has scored 3,574 pts on the campaign (111.7 per contest) and they average 41.0 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Kings are shooting 46.3% from the field, which is 21st in basketball.

The Kings on the defensive end are ranked 27th in the league in points per game surrendered with 122.1. They are able to force 15.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 49.7% from the floor (30th in the league). The Sacramento defense allows 36.0% on shots from distance (416 of 1,155) and their opponents are converting on 77.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 28.3 assists and 46.5 total boards per game, which is 26th and 26th in the league.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Sacramento and under the total points

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.