NBA Gameday: Thomas Would Like Nothing More Than to Bury Kings

Barring another freak arena malfunction, the Sacramento Kings will return to the court Friday evening in Boston to take on Isaiah Thomas and his Celtic teammates. The Kings’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers was postponed on Wednesday due to a condensation issue on the playing surface that made the Verizon Center unsafe for play.

There is still no word as to when the Kings and 76ers will make up their missed contest. Sacramento will be back on the east coast in January, but their scheduled trip is already seven games long and there are very few days to sneak in a game.

Boston is coming off a 121-114 home loss to the Detroit on Wednesday night in which all five starters scored 19 points or more for the Pistons. The Celtics come in averaging 105 points per game, good enough for 12th place in the league and their defense yields 104.4, which ranks 16th overall in the NBA.

OPENING LINE

Celtics by 6.5

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Darren Collison vs. Isaiah Thomas -- Collison replaced Thomas as Sacramento’s starting point guard via free agency before the 2014-15 season. After a brief stop in Phoenix, Thomas has found a home in Boston and developed into an All-Star. The 5-foot-9 speedster is averaging a career-best 26.1 points and would love nothing more than to bury his former team. Collison has been solid since returning from suspension, but not nearly as consistent as he has been in the past. He’ll have his hands full on Friday night in Boston.

WHERE THEY STAND

Kings: 7-11, fourth place in Pacific

Celtics: 10-8, second place in Atlantic

INJURY REPORT

Kings: No injuries to report.

Celtics: No injuries to report.

SERIES HISTORY

The Celtics swept the season series between these two teams last season, including a 114-97 victory in Mexico City on Dec. 3. Boston holds a 180-117 all-time lead over the Kings and a 35-25 advantage during the Sacramento-era.

QUOTE

“That’s all this league is, what people think they know - 99 percent of the time, they don’t know. That’s my guy. I’m extremely happy for him. I’m happy for all of the success he’s gotten so far.” -DeMarcus Cousins on his relationship with Isaiah Thomas