Celtics-Kings takeaways: Jays put on a show in lopsided win

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The Boston Celtics played their best game of the season as they blew out the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, 128-75.

Boston came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Kings 38-13 in the first quarter for its largest first-quarter lead since 2010. It led Sacramento by as many as 60 (!!!) points, marking the franchise's largest lead in the last 20 years. Its previous high was 58 against the Chicago Bulls in 2018.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown outscored the Kings by themselves, 66-52, before being removed from the game late in the third quarter with the comfortable lead. They finished with 36 and 30 points, respectively.

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Here are three instant takeaways from the Celtics' lopsided victory, which brings them to 25-24 on the season. They'll look to carry their momentum into Friday night's showdown with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Jays put on a show

Two nights after dropping a season-high 51 points, Jayson Tatum gave the TD Garden crowd an encore.

The Celtics' All-Star wing picked up where he left off with 24 points (5-11 from 3) and five assists in the first half alone. He didn't let his foot off the gas pedal in the second half, either. Tatum ended up with 36 points on 14-of-23 shooting (7-14 from beyond the arc). That's 87 points in his last two games for those keeping score at home. He also notched six assists and four rebounds in 31 minutes.

So much for that slump from beyond the arc. Tatum is 16-for-28 on 3-pointers in his past two games.

Jaylen Brown was red-hot out the gate as well, scoring 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and bringing down seven boards in the first half. Tatum and Brown combined for 20 of the Celtics' 24 first-quarter points and 44 of their 63 first-half points.

Like Tatum, Brown sat the entire fourth quarter as there was no need for head coach Ime Udoka to use his All-Star tandem with the game out of reach. Brown posted a double-double with 30 points (11-19 FG, 5-12 3PT) and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.

 Robert Williams asserts his dominance

While Tatum and Brown took care of the scoring, Robert Williams made his presence felt on the boards. The Celtics big man brought down a career-high 17 rebounds to top his previous high of 16, which he accomplished twice. Williams now has five 10+ rebound performances over his last seven games.

Time Lord also continued to make a significant impact defensively with three steals and two blocks.

Williams added 13 points (6-8 FG) in 27 minutes before joining Tatum and Brown on the bench in the fourth quarter. Mark it down as yet another standout performance for the fourth-year center in what's been a spectacular 2021-22 season for him.

Marcus Smart's playmaking paying dividends

Marcus Smart finished with a goose egg in the points column. As you can see by the final score, it didn't matter. The veteran point guard still managed to be a major difference-maker.

Smart dished out six assists in the first half and finished with seven in his 24 minutes. His playmaking has improved significantly and is only getting better as the season goes on.

Smart returned from health and safety protocols on Sunday and was a team-best +36 with six assists in the win over the Wizards. He was a +36 again on Tuesday night, making another statement as the NBA trade deadline approaches.

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