Everything you need to know for the Boston Celtics' away game against the Sacramento Kings on January 1, 2026: where to watch, listen, stream info, TV channel, and what happened last game.
Happy New Year, all!
The Celtics (20-12) are in the midst of winning 5 of their last 6 games, as a part of a nine-game stretch in which I predicted Boston to win 8 of their next 9 games.
They’re living up to expectations they’ve built for themselves on the fly as one of the three best teams in the Eastern Conference, taking care of business against lesser opponents and doing so while playing their game - doing it all while Jaylen Brown plays the best basketball of his life.
It’s been both a surprising year and incredibly fun year for the boys in green, and we’ll look to start out the 2026 calendar year with yet another extremely winnable game for Boston, as they hit the road to take on one of the worst teams in the NBA in the Sacramento Kings (8-25).
How to Watch Celtics vs. Kings
Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics Information
Game Date: January 1, 2026
Game Time: 10:00 PM ET
TV Channel: NBC Sports Boston (Boston) & NBC Sports California (Sacramento)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub (Boston) & Sactown Sports 1140 (Sacramento)
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Live Stream: Fubo & NBA League Pass
Mar 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles the ball next to Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center. (Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images)Missed any of Tuesday night’s win over Utah? Here were some takeaways:
1. Derrick White’s Statistical Anomaly:
Derrick White started 0 for 5, but that didn’t matter.
In the second half, White took over, scoring 22 of his 27 points, attacking the paint, drawing fouls, and disrupting Utah defensively.
Then there’s the box score oddity:
27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and a career-high 7 blocks.
No Celtic has ever done that in a single game. That includes the likes of Bill Russell and Kevin Garnett, two of the greatest defensive players in NBA history.
White impacted both ends: rim protection, playmaking, and infusing energy when Boston needed it most.
A quiet but elite two-way game from a player who has finally turned his season around from inconsistent to consistently playing a complete game.
2. Brown’s Streak Ends, But He Still Looked Like An MVP:
Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points and 10 assists, ending his 30-point streak at nine games. But there’s no reason for concern.
Brown wasn’t chasing history. He was making the right play.
Utah pressured Brown, who moved the ball well, finished 9 of 19 with just 2 turnovers, created for teammates, and scored late when needed.
That’s growth.
The streak ends, but the version of Brown Boston needs showed up anyway. He continues looking like a real MVP candidate.
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3. Simons Gets Crunch Time Minutes:
Head coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t just hand out late-game minutes. You have you earn them.
Simons earned his on Tuesday night.
The reserve guard brought scoring punch, spacing, and pace, which led Mazzulla to lean into a three-guard lineup for most of the fourth quarter.
The result? Boston outscored Utah 30-23 down the stretch.
Simons scored 20 with a team-best plus-27, defended, and kept the floor spaced, earning his late minutes and once again giving oxygen to this question:
‘Why doesn’t this guy get more burn?’
4. Garza The Stabilizer:
While the second half belonged to Boston’s guards, Luka Garza’s minutes mattered early.
After struggling in Portland, Garza bounced back with 15 points in 19 minutes, knocking down two threes and finishing strong inside.
His offense helped keep Boston afloat during a sluggish first quarter and gave the second unit structure, something he’s been able to do at times throughout the season.
It also mattered in a rotation sense, as Garza’s steady play makes it hard to justify flipping back to Josh Minott at backup center anytime soon.
Minott, of course, is much shorter than Garza - listed at 6-foot-8 vs. listed at 6-foot-10. Plus, Minott doesn’t necessarily carry along the type of bulk you’d want to see in an undersized five-man. So this is only a conversation that can be had against certain opponents.
It wasn’t flashy on Tuesday, just effective. That’s what matters.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.