Feb 7, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Keegan Murray Speaks on Kings' Crushing Loss to Celtics

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 10:55 AM ET

For their first game in the New Year, the Sacramento Kings were doing all they could to keep up with the Boston Celtics. At least, for the first three quarters. The Kings were even with the Celtics heading into the fourth quarter during Thursday's game, but they were outscored 32-18 in the final period crushed them.

After the loss, Kings forward Keegan Murray talked about what went wrong for them down the stretch.

"They made shots, we missed shots. I think we [made zero] from three in the fourth quarter, so that's just the biggest difference," Murray said. "...I think the [fourth quarter] was more on us. I mean, obviously, they're a championship team, so they know down the stretch where they're going. At the end of the day, it's a make-or-miss league, and we're missing and they're making. Unfortunately, that was the game right there."

Kings fall flat for third straight game

Things were looking up for the Kings when they won two of three, but then a disastrous two-game trip to Los Angeles crushed them. The Kings lost to the Lakers and Clippers by a combined 65 points over two games, and while things looked better back at home against the Celtics, they still suffered a double-digit loss.

"I think we played a lot faster, with more pace, which got us a lot more easy baskets, a lot more kickout threes," Murray compared the Kings' performance on Thursday to their two-game trip to LA. "I think our pace picked up and we weren't playing in the halfcourt as much against a set defense."

Keegan with the floater ‍ pic.twitter.com/EevE4MKHby
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 2, 2026

The Kings at least showed some fight on Thursday night against the Celtics, and while it resulted in a loss, it was a far better outing than either of their losses in Los Angeles.

What's next for the Kings?

Now, starting 2026 with an expected 0-1 record, the Kings have a surprisingly favorable stretch of games coming up. After hitting the road to face the Phoenix Suns, the Kings will host the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks. Of course, there is a chance the Kings go 0-3 in this three-game stretch, but these are all winnable games for Sacramento.

If the Kings can even win two of the next three, it would give the team some life and much-needed momentum before hitting another rough patch in their schedule.

Sure, they lost to the Celtics on Thursday night, but it was another showing that proved they are capable of winning; they just need to execute better.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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