Hugo González scored a game-high 24 points with 10 rebounds and five assists Wednesday night, and the Boston Celtics beat the Sacramento Kings 82-76 at Thomas & Mack Center to finish Las Vegas group play at 3-1 — earning a playoff matchup Saturday against an opponent still to be determined, per NBA.com. It was a direct answer to Monday’s loss to Atlanta, and it was won the way Boston’s other two victories were: on the defensive end.
Sacramento managed four points over the game’s first 10 minutes. Boston took a 39-28 lead into halftime and held off a late push — the Kings got within two with 54 seconds remaining before the Celtics closed on a 5-1 run.
González has been Boston’s steadiest player in Vegas. He opened the schedule with a 17-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist night against Toronto and topped it Wednesday, leading all scorers while running much of the offense. John Tonje added 18 points. Milos Uzan — signed to an Exhibit 10 contract Wednesday morning along with Tucker DeVries, per Yahoo Sports — put up 13 points and seven rebounds that evening. Chris Cenac Jr., the No. 27 pick out of Houston, worked a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double a game after his four-block night against the Hawks.
Alex Karaban, Sacramento’s No. 29 overall pick, led the Kings with 21 points and eight rebounds.
For a front office that spent July remaking its wing rotation, the summer returns are arriving in the right order: the young players Boston kept are the ones producing, and the group has now beaten Toronto, Charlotte and Sacramento with defense as the constant. The Celtics play Saturday in the playoff round; the opponent will be set once the remaining group games finish.
For fantasy purposes, González’s week is the one to file away. A 24-10-5 line from a young wing on a retooling roster is how rotation minutes get earned, and he belongs on deep-dynasty watchlists even before Boston’s regular-season depth chart takes shape. Cenac’s rebounding and shot-blocking have been the most repeatable rookie skills on the roster, and he remains a patient dynasty stash. Neither should be drafted in standard redraft leagues yet.
