The Sacramento Kings begin a three-game road trip by taking on the Boston Celtics on Friday night (7:30 ET, League Pass).

The Kings (18-19) have turned things around and currently ride a season-high five game win streak. The Celtics (27-10) are back home from an impressive four-game road trip out West where they went 3-1. 

Here are five things to know before tip-off:

• Boston’s star duo can fill it up: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum lead the way for the Celtics’ second ranked offense. The dynamic forward-guards are each top-20 in scoring across the NBA, with Brown checking in at 17th at 23.9 points per game, while Tatum’s 28.1 ppg figure is good for fourth. 

• Tatum adding to his game: Now in his eighth season, JT continues to grow as a player and leader for Boston. We already talked about the scoring, but in a little over 36 minutes per contest in 2024-25, he’s averaging career-highs in rebounds (9.2), assists (5.5) and plus-minus (+9.1), and has recorded 17 double-doubles and the third triple-double of his career. He leads the Celtics in nearly every statistical category. 

• Celtics’ 3-point barrage: Boston loves to let it fly from deep, using the same formula that helped them hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy last June. The Celtics get a staggering 46.1% of their points off of 3-pointers, a number that leads the league by a wide margin (4.5%). They shoot 54.8% of their field goal attempts from long range, also ranking first in the NBA.

• Sacramento counters on offense: The Kings run a very different offense than the Celtics, getting 60.6% of their field goal attempts up inside the 3-point line, the seventh-highest mark in the league. They get 52.8% of their buckets from 2-pointers, lead the NBA in mid-range scoring percentage (11.1%), and rank second behind only Boston in restricted area field goal percentage (71.1%).

• Kings finding new life: After a tumultuous stretch of six straight losses from Dec. 16-28 that included Sacramento making a coaching change, the Kings are now 5-1 in their last six and winners of five straight. Interim coach Doug Christie has Sacramento playing their best basketball during this stretch, with a sixth-ranked offense (118.4) and net rating (7.9), and an eighth-ranked defense (110.4).