The Boston Celtics had a 10-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon against the Sacramento Kings after Celtics guard Marcus Smart rimmed out a game-winning floater attempt at the buzzer:
OH ME OH MY WHAT A FINISH!! pic.twitter.com/eUc0dnCUiS
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) November 17, 2019
Boston lost the season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, but they rattled off 10 consecutive wins and had the best record in the NBA heading into Sunday's matchup with the Kings.
Sacramento shooting guard Buddy Hield led all scorers with 35 points, going 7-of-12 from the three-point line while adding six rebounds and four steals. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 18 points.
Smart's unfortunate bounce symbolized his individual performance. The defensive stalwart shot just 2-of-16 from the field and 1-of-8 from downtown, although he did post nine assists and five rebounds.
The Celtics shot over 41 percent from the field and won the battle in the paint, but they converted on just 33 percent of their three-point attempts while the Kings made 40 percent of their treys.
Boston's loss is all the more shocking considering that the Kings are still playing without Marvin Bagley III and De'Aaron Fox in the lineup. However, Hield picked a good time to have his highest-scoring game of the season, and Nemanja Bjelica played big with 14 rebounds.
In spite of the loss, the Celtics look like a much different team this season. The ball has been moving more freely on the offensive end, and Boston has made a concerted effort to establish Brown and Jayson Tatum as playmakers on the offensive end.
The Celtics will look to get back on the winning track when they play the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
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