20151203-BOSSAC

Marc D'Amico

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MEXICO CITY – The Boston Celtics knew full well that their most recent opponent, the Sacramento Kings, play no defense.

They went out and took advantage of that fact Thursday night in Mexico City.

The Celtics, led by a dominant performance by Isaiah Thomas against his former team of three seasons, embarrassed the Kings 114-97 in the NBA’s most recent installment of its Global Games.  Thomas, who scored 19 points during the first half and 21 on the night, was one of four to notch at least 20 in the game.

Sacramento entered the contest with the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league with a mark of 106.1.  It also ranked fourth-worst in opponent fast break points, allowing 15.6 per game.

Both of those numbers increased Thursday night .

The Celtics, using beautiful, team-oriented offense, lit the Kings up for an offensive rating of 109.0.  They also scored 19 fast break points during the win.

“For the most part we were just unselfish.  We let the game come to us,” said Thomas.  “Guys took the right types of shots and knocked them down.  Our offense was flowing tonight.”

When this offense is flowing, every Celtic reaps the benefits.  Thursday night was no exception.  Boston sprayed the ball around for the best look possible, resulting in an incredible rate of 34 assists on 40 made baskets.

“I thought we had a lot of guys shooting the ball, but we also had a lot of guys finding guys that were hot, so that was good,” said Brad Stevens.  “A lot of those plays were off of extra passes.”

After describing a few of those plays, Stevens added, “That’s what we want to do.  We want to move the ball and find open shots.”

Making them always helps, and the Celtics did plenty of that against Sacramento’s nonexistent defense.

Be it in transition, in the half-court or off of offensive rebounds, the Celtics found open shot after open shot.  They capitalized more often than not through the first three quarters of the game, connecting on 52.5 percent of their attempts while building a 26-point lead.

Many of Boston’s makes came from long range.  Four Celtics made at least three 3-pointers, led by four apiece from Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley.  Crowder, Bradley, Thomas and Kelly Olynyk, who scored a season-high 21 points, combined to shoot 14-of-27 from beyond the arc.

This was the epitome of team offense, an offense the Kings could not contain, and one the Celtics loved showing off to their fans south of the border.

“It’s a fun type of basketball to see everybody be successful,” said Thomas, “(to see) everybody to pitch in what they have.”

Thursday night certainly wasn’t the first time we’ve seen the Celtics pick apart a defense with a balanced attack.   They have shown on multiple occasions this season that they can catch fire and drown an opponent with buckets.

The Celtics have now scored at least 110 points on six different occasions, logged at least 25 assists on eight different occasions, and made at least 10 3-pointers in six of their 19 games.

As you might imagine, Boston is pretty darn good when it reaches those benchmarks.  It is now 6-0 when scoring more than 110 points, 7-1 when tallying at least 25 assists, and 4-2 when connecting on at least 10 3s.  They accomplished all of those feats against the Kings.

Mexico City sure wasn’t Miami, but it had its perks.  The Celtics knew that they’d be able to face off with one of the league’s worst defenses, and boy, did they take advantage.

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Celtics Torch Kings for Win in Mexico City

Taylor Snow

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A typical Celtics pre-game warm-up consists of Boston’s players taking and making any uncontested shot they desire to get their juices flowing.

Usually that routine ends moments before the tip-off, but it seemed to last all game long Thursday night against Sacramento, as the Celtics glided to a 114-97 win in Mexico City.

The Kings started off with an early 8-6 advantage, but Boston soon found gaps in Sacramento’s defense and took advantage.

Jared Sullinger tied up the game with an easy jumper from the right side and then Isaiah Thomas nailed a wide-open 3 from the right wing to put the C’s up 3.

Avery Bradley doubled that lead on the next possession with a no-doubt triple from the left wing, and at that point the C’s seemed to be in business.

Boston scored eight straight points to double up the Kings, 16-8, just four and a half minutes into the opening quarter. Its offense did not let up from there.

Sacramento battled back momentarily to cut its deficit to three points, but the Celtics then took off on a nine-point run. That run was capped off when Jae Crowder caught Rajon Rondo napping on defense and blew right past him for an uncontested layup, putting Boston up 25-13.

That napping would be a recurring theme for the Kings’ defense all night long.

Right off the bat, it was apparent that Boston would be given ample opportunities to score Thursday night, and it did not disappoint with a 46.7 percent shooting performance from the field.

Rajon Rondo was the centerpiece of the pregame buzz ahead of Thursday night’s tip-off. That was no surprise, considering it was a highly-anticipated rematch against his former Celtics team.

There wasn’t nearly as much hype, however, surrounding his counterpart Isaiah Thomas, who was also taking on his former squad.

Thomas, who spent his first three NBA seasons in Sacramento, absolutely torched the Kings Thursday night. He tallied game highs in points (21, tied with Kelly Olynyk), assists (nine), steals (four) and also corralled six rebounds.

Nineteen of Thomas’ points came during the first half when he shot 8-of-12 from the field.

Meanwhile, Rondo only tallied five points, eight assists and committed four turnovers. He was ejected from the game during the third quarter after staring down a ref who had called a technical foul on him moments earlier.

Rondo may have eaten up all the pregame noise, but he came out quiet in this one. Instead it was Thomas who delivered the loud performance, and it couldn’t have been sweeter coming against his former team.

Brad Stevens on the opportunity to participate in the Global Games

keys-to-the-game-celtics-114-kings-97

Keys to the Game: Celtics 114, Kings 97

Thursday, December 3 - Celtics at Kings (Mexico City)

Pregame - Olynyk's a Surprisingly Popular Man in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY – Pop quiz: Who’s the most popular Celtic in Mexico City?

If you answered with Isaiah Thomas, Jared Sullinger or Avery Bradley, you’re wrong.

Believe it or not, Kelly Olynyk, with his long, flowing locks, is Boston’s King of Mexico.

Olynyk played for the Canadian National Team in the FIBA Americas tournament this past summer in Mexico City.  He played 10 games in the tournament and averaged 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

In the process, he became a fan favorite here in Mexico’s capitol.

It is Olynyk’s face that is advertised most prominently among Celtics players on the large billboard inside the city.  His face also graced the banner that hung at Wednesday night’s Global Games reception in downtown Mexico City.  And at that reception, he was the man with whom all of the media wanted to speak.

The 7-footer was pleased to have learned that he left such an impression on the local community during such a short time here this past summer.

“It’s nice,” he said before tonight’s game.  “It’s kind of cool to see them respecting the game of basketball, loving the game of basketball.

“When I get down here, I love playing here.  The fans are great and the people are great.”

Olynyk has been here multiple times throughout his basketball life.  He reached into the back of his memory bank to recall his first trip to Mexico City.

“The first time I came here, I was really young.  I was in high school still and came for Basketball Without Borders,” Olynyk said.  “Ever since then I’ve always loved coming down here and it’s been a great time and the fans are great.”

So great, he said, that he made some new friends south of the border who he has kept in touch with.

“We had a couple of people working with our (Canadian) National Team that texted me and said, ‘We’re coming to watch your game in Mexico City.  Hope you’re doing well,’” Olynyk revealed.  “It was just nice to see that support and the people here are really caring and really nice people.”

Olynyk has enjoyed this city in the past, but he has also learned a lesson about playing here: the altitude is a serious obstacle.

Mexico City’s altitude is about 2,000 feet higher than that of Denver, and some players can’t even handle playing on the road against the Nuggets.  Olynyk is the only member of the Celtics who has a true understanding of what it will feel like to play tonight in Mexico City’s thin air.

“We only have one game out here, so it’s a little bit tough,” he said, noting that Team Canada had a couple of weeks this summer to adjust to the thin air.  “I remember our first practice here with Team Canada.  We went hard and had a three-hour practice and it was no joke.  Guys were struggling.  It was really no joke.  You definitely notice it.”

The players will notice the altitude, and everyone else in the building will notice that Olynyk is surprisingly a popular man here in Mexico City.  He played well in these surroundings over summer, leading Team Canada to an 8-2 record.

Boston hopes for more of the same tonight.

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DraftKings Post-Ups: Olynyk's a Popular Man in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Rajon Rondo will face the Boston Celtics for the second time in his career at 10 p.m. tonight in Mexico City.

The Celtics hope this matchup will be much different than the first.

Rondo was clearly motivated to play his former team for the first time on Jan. 2 of last season.  He scored 29 points and made five of his seven 3-point attempts in the game, leading Dallas to a 119-101 win.

“(He) killed us,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said Wednesday afternoon.

Stevens later added that Rondo’s adrenaline was likely flowing much more than normal that night.

“Obviously, I think there’s always the additional focus on playing your former team,” Stevens said.  “Hey, that’s part of it, and he absolutely killed us when he came back to TD Garden last year.”

Rondo hasn’t played in TD Garden since that night but he has continued to kill opponents, now as a member of the Sacramento Kings.  He leads the NBA in triple-doubles (four) and in assists per game (10.7).

Those facts aren’t surprising.  Rondo has won multiple assist titles during his career and has led the NBA in triple-doubles twice.  What is surprising, however, is what he’s doing with his jump shot.

Rondo has made 35.4 percent of his 3-pointers this season.  That number would far and away set a new career high if it holds true throughout the season, and it is actually higher than Isaiah Thomas’ current mark of 32.0 percent this season.  Rondo is shooting the ball well enough to pose a major threat to opponents from the outside in addition to his elite passing skills.

Avery Bradley is one Celtic who surely will be tasked with containing Rondo’s shooting and passing.  Bradley said Rondo is “like a brother to me,” recalling that Rondo believed in him since Day 1, but also stated that he will see nothing but a nameless face in a Kings uniform come opening tip.

“Once you cross these lines, it’s game time and you’re no longer friends,” said Bradley.  “I know that’s how Rondo thinks.  That’s how all the old guys that we used to play with think.”

And that’s why Bradley thinks the same way.  He spent the first three seasons of his career under the tutelage of Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  He knows how to push personal relationships aside once he crosses the lines of a basketball court.

Rondo will be the opponent tonight, one who will be motivated yet again to torch his former team.  Bradley knows that as well as anyone and he, too, will be motivated to shut his former teammate down and help the Celtics grab a win.

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Celtics Prepare for Second Tilt with Rajon Rondo

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Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings meet at 10 p.m. tonight at Mexico City Arena.

The Boston Celtics will play the first regular season international game in team history when they face off against the Sacramento Kings tonight in Mexico City.

It will mark the NBA’s eighth regular season international contest and the third for the Kings, who played back-to-back games in Japan during the 1999-2000 season.

This will also be the third NBA regular season game played at Mexico City Arena, which has a larger seating capacity (22,300) than any NBA venue.  Houston and Minnesota faced off at the arena last November, and the Rockets also played there during the 1997-98 season against Dallas.

There had been one other regular season matchup scheduled at the arena during the 2013-14 campaign; however, the match between the Timberwolves and Spurs was called off at the last minute because a generator malfunction caused the venue to fill with smoke.

There may be smoke in the arena this time around as well, though it will likely be coming from a different source.

Rajon Rondo has been on fire lately, having just completed a successful first month as a member of the Kings.

The former C’s captain is averaging 12.9 points per game, 10.7 assists per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. He is the only player in the league averaging at least 10 APG and is assisting on 44.9 percent of his teammates’ field goals when he’s on the floor.

And he’s on the floor a lot. Rondo has played the second-most minutes in the league (679), behind James Harden. That tally included a stretch of 109 consecutive minutes over a three-game span.

The 10th-year veteran has faced off against the Celtics once in his career; that came last season with the Mavericks when he returned to Boston to score 29 points and a career-high five 3-pointers.

Expect another complete effort from Rondo against his former team tonight.

Rondo’s arrival to Sac-City has immediately impacted the Kings’ pace of play.

The point guard is pushing the ball, and as a result his team is averaging 102.1 possessions per 48 minutes. That ranks Sacramento second in the NBA behind Phoenix, and it’s a solid spike from its mark of 97.9 last season.

Boston has also been playing at a fast pace of play thanks to starting point guard – and former King – Isaiah Thomas. The C’s have averaged 101.2 possessions per 48 minutes, which places them fifth in the league.

Teams that play at a high pace typically score boatload of points, and that’s exactly what should be expected tonight.

Boston has been the third-highest scoring team in the East, averaging 102.0 PPG. That mark should be easily attainable tonight since the C’s are facing one of the worst defensive squads in the league.

The Kings are allowing the second-most points in the league (108.5 PPG) and could be in trouble against a Celtics team that picked apart a stingy Miami defense Monday night.

Sacramento does, however, back up that poor defense with a high-octane offense. It’s averaging 105.3 PPG, which places it fourth in the league in scoring.

One of the reasons the Kings are such a high-scoring team is because they have one of the most dominant offensive bigs in the game prowling their frontcourt.

DeMarcus Cousins completely runs the scoring show for Sacramento. He’s averaging 28.2 PPG and attempts a league-high 34.5 percent of his team’s field goals when he’s on the floor.

Cousins also gets to the line a lot. He attempts 10.7 free throws per game and makes 8.5 of them, which ranks him second in the league in both of those categories.

Simply put, he gets his hands on the ball frequently. His usage percentage (35.4 percent) ranks second in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook.

The C’s may have their hands full tonight containing Rondo and Cousins on the defensive end, but as long as their offense can kick into gear against Sacramento’s lowly defense, they should have a good chance to win their first regular season international contest.

watch-it-celtics-at-kings-2

Watch It! – Celtics at Kings

The Boston Celtics have been long rumored to have an interest in acquiring DeMarcus Cousins.

With performances like he had in his return to the Sacramento Kings, it's easy to see why.

The Kings will try to continue their success this season with Cousins in the lineup Thursday night when they take on Boston in Mexico City as part of the league's Global Games events.

Trade rumors began to swirl concerning Boston's interest in Cousins ahead of their most recent meeting last February. General manager Danny Ainge was then reportedly pushing to get a deal done during the offseason after it seemed coach George Karl and Cousins couldn't co-exist.

The Celtics weren't able to pull it off and the All-Star center remains with Sacramento, though he, Rajon Rondo and Karl are still trying to work out their differences. Cousins had a verbal tirade on his coach earlier in the season, but the three had a productive meeting near the end of a 2-3 trip.

Cousins missed the finale of that road swing and the next two games with a lower back strain before finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Monday's 112-98 win over Dallas. Rondo had 21 points and Rudy Gay added 20 as Sacramento avoided a third straight loss.

Cousins is averaging career highs of 28.2 points while leading the Kings to a 6-5 record in the games he's played. They haven't been the same without him, dropping seven of eight.

"I hate being out and I hate having to sit to watch my team going to battle without me when you know you could be in helping them," Cousins said. "It's a terrible feeling to be sitting out. But you have to put those games behind you and move forward."

Rondo hopes to put up a similar performance to the first time he faced Celtics after getting traded to Dallas in the middle of last season. The All-Star, who spent his first eight-plus seasons in Boston, had 29 points and hit 5 of 7 from 3-point range in Dallas' road win Jan. 2.

Sacramento and Boston have split the season series in each of the past three seasons, with the home team winning each time. That won't be the deciding factor at Mexico City Arena.

"We're thrilled to participate in this game here," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told the team's official website. "As much as we're focused on this task and focused on the game itself, I think we recognize how blessed we are to get a chance to play all around the world, and certainly here in Mexico City."

Stevens' club is seeking some consistency on the defensive end after splitting the Florida portion of its five-game trip with Monday's 105-95 win at Miami. The Celtics have limited opponents to an average of 89.7 points in 10 victories but have surrendered 107.3 in eight defeats.

Avery Bradley led six double-digit scorers with 25 points Monday, while Jared Sullinger added 17. Isaiah Thomas scored 16 with nine assists but shot 5 of 17 from the field.

Thomas, averaging a team-high 20.8 points, has scored a combined 43 in his two trips back to Sacramento after spending his first three seasons with the Kings.

Sullinger has only played in two of the past four meetings but has totaled 51 points and 27 boards.

12-3-game-preview-celtics-at-kings

12/3 Game Preview: Celtics at Kings

MEXICO CITY – Wednesday was travel day for the Boston Celtics.  This one, however, was a bit unique.

The Celtics traveled to Mexico City for the first time in franchise history for their showdown with Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings Thursday night.  The game will be played at 9 p.m. local time in Mexico City Arena, which opened on Feb. 25, 2012.

Following their arrival at Mexico City International Airport, the team quickly passed through customs and boarded two chartered buses.  A police escort then assisted the team through a 45-minute ride over to the arena for practice.

Upon arrival at the arena, it didn’t take long to understand the enormity of this game from a global perspective.  A group of media members that must have approached 50 surrounded Brad Stevens once he stepped onto the court.  Similar attention was then paid to Avery Bradley, Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko.

All four of the Celtics relayed how excited they are to take part in another NBA Global Games event.

“We’re thrilled to be here.  We’re thrilled to participate in this game here,” Steens said.  “As much as we’re focused on this task and focused on the game itself, I think we recognize how blessed we are to get a chance to play all around the world, and certainly here in Mexico City tomorrow night.”

Bradley later added, “I think it’s a great opportunity, not only for our team, but for the NBA.  I’m just happy that we’re the team that gets the chance to play here.  It’s going to be exciting to see how many fans will be out here.”

Bradley and the Celtics will most likely play in front of the largest crowd they’ve ever seen during an NBA game.  The contest is apparently nearing a sellout, and the arena lists its seating capacity at 22,300.  To put that into perspective, TD Garden hosts a maximum of 18.624 fans for Celtics games and no NBA arena surpasses a maximum capacity of 21,165, according to Wikipedia.org.

A Mexican reporter notified Bradley that he and his teammates should expect most of the sizable crowd to be wearing green as opposed to purple.  Bradley smiled and responded, “I hope so.  It’s just exciting for us.  I think it’s cool that we have fans all over the world.  Usually everywhere we go we see green.”

Excitement is certainly in the air, but Boston will be faced with multiple challenges heading into this game.

First and foremost, traffic is known to be a nightmare in Mexico City, which is the country’s most populated city.  It will take the team nearly an hour of travel, or potentially more, for every leg it takes on its chartered buses.  That fact will essentially shorten Wednesday and Thursday for the Celtics.  They’ll be forced to leave for the arena much earlier than normal on Thursday in order to make it to the game at the necessary time.

Traffic issues will also throw another major kink into Boston’s game day routine.  The C’s typically head to their game venue at 10:30 a.m. each game day for their morning shootaround.  Doing so in Mexico City would likely lead to a three-hour round trip – two hours each way plus an hour for media availability and the practice itself.  As such, Stevens has decided to not hold a shootaround and instead opted for a team meeting and video session at the hotel.

Game day will also differ greatly from the norm due to this game’s scheduled tip-off time.  The C’s and Kings will not take the court for the opening jump until 9 p.m. local time.  The latest start time any team will experience during the regular season is 8:30 p.m. local time, and the majority of Boston’s games this season will tip off at 7:30 p.m. local time.

The late tip-off will result in a brutal travel night for the Celtics on Thursday, when they will leave Mexico City after the game and head to San Antonio.  They are likely to take off after 1 a.m. and may not arrive at their hotel in San Antonio until after 4 a.m.

No one would argue that these are ideal circumstances for the Celtics to play regular season games.  However, they come with the territory of being the most historic franchise in the game.

The NBA wants to showcase the Boston Celtics and its 17 championships to the rest of the world, and the C’s are happy to oblige.

Sure, there are obstacles standing between the Celtics and a win over the Kings Thursday night, but they’re excited to take on the challenge in Mexico City nonetheless.

20151203‑BOSSAC