The Celtics didn’t exactly light the beam Thursday night in Sacramento, but they did what good teams do against bad ones.

They waited.

They absorbed the early punches.

And then they closed.

Boston pulled away late to beat the Kings 120-106, improving to 21-12 on the season and 3-1 so far on their five-game road trip. Sacramento, meanwhile, fell to 8-26, continuing a season that’s been over for quite some time.

This had all the makings of a classic West Coast slog: slow start, unexpected made shots by the opponent, and Celtics fans questioning their choice to stay up. The Kings - among the league’s worst from three - made 12. Meanwhile, Boston’s early defense lacked urgency, keeping the game close most of the night.

Until it didn’t.

Boston flipped the switch in the fourth quarter, outscoring Sacramento 32-18 and turning a competitive game into a comfortable win. The Kings’ offense stalled, the Celtics’ depth took over, and the talent gap finally showed itself.

Jaylen Brown continued his MVP-level of play, leading the way with 29 points and 10 rebounds, making big plays on both ends before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Seven Celtics, including Brown, scored in double figures, highlighting the team’s balanced approach and collective performance at their best.

For Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points with 6 assists, keeping the Kings competitive. Former Celtic Dennis Schröder contributed 18 points and 7 assists as a spark off the bench. But Boston’s collective depth and ability to close the game in the fourth quarter set them apart.

Here are four takeaways from a New Year’s Day road win:

This was a bench takeover. Full stop.

For Boston, Anfernee Simons scored 14 points with 4 assists, showing poise in critical moments.

Sam Hauser provided a shooting spark, going 5 for 7 from deep for 15 points.

Luka Garza made a key impact with 11 points and a team-best +16, contributing on both ends.

When the Celtics’ bench performs like this, their depth becomes a decisive advantage - especially against teams lacking it.

Sacramento couldn’t keep up.

This was a weird shooting night.

The Celtics’ starters went cold from three, finishing 5 for 24 - typically a formula for trouble for Joe Mazzulla-coached teams. Instead, the bench stepped up, shooting a remarkable 12 for 17 from deep.

Boston finished 17 for 41 (41.5%) from deep overall, compared to Sacramento’s 12 for 36 (33.3%).

The difference was sustainability. The Kings hit shots early, then cooled off hard when it mattered. Boston, meanwhile, kept generating clean looks and made enough of them late to break the game open.

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Walsh has now started 19 straight games he’s been active, but “starter” is doing a lot of work here.

Walsh played just five minutes, as other wings contributed more: Sam Hauser’s shooting and Hugo Gonzalez’s energy made bigger impacts, with Hauser excelling from three and Gonzalez impressing coaches with his hustle and positioning.

This isn’t a knock on Walsh.

It’s a reminder that starting doesn’t guarantee minutes with this deep, matchup-driven Celtics team.

Walsh has shown that he will have his nights, but this wasn’t one of them.

Aside from a semi-head-scratching loss in Portland (14-20), the Celtics have handled business on this trip.

Wins over the Pacers (6-28), Jazz (12-21), and Kings have them sitting at 3-1 with one game left - a tough one - against the Clippers (12-21) late Saturday night in Los Angeles. Boston hasn’t shown many signs of letdown despite being on the road for more than a week, which matters.

They’re now just two games behind the second-place Knicks (23-10) in the East, stacking wins without always looking their sharpest.

That’s usually a good sign.

Not every road win needs to be pretty. Sometimes it just needs to be adult, composed, and finished strong.

Thursday night checked all three boxes.

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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.