Boston @ Portland preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 4, 2018 ) Portland 96, Boston 97

The Boston Celtics are performing admirably in the wake of a nasty run of injuries, taking out two of the top four teams in the Western Conference in recent days. The Celtics seek their third straight victory against a West foe when they continue a four-game road trip at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Two days after knocking off Oklahoma City at home and hours after announcing that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving would undergo a surgical procedure on his ailing left knee, Boston won at Portland 105-100 on Friday. Marcus Morris continued to step up for the Celtics with 30 points - one shy of his season high - as his team rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to stun the Trail Blazers. "I would just say our character is unbelievable," guard Shane Larkin told reporters. "We're really fighters, and that's what's made us so great." The Kings are playing out another losing season but aren't going down without a fight of their own and split their last 12 games, including Thursday's 105-90 triumph over Atlanta at home in front of a limited crowd due to protests outside the arena over a recent police shooting.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBCS Boston, NBCS California (Sacramento)

ABOUT THE CELTICS (49-23): Irving's procedure is a minimally invasive one that the team hopes can get its leader back on the court soon. Fellow guard Jaylen Brown has missed six games in a row as he recovers from a concussion but coach Brad Stevens told reporters that the athletic second-year pro could play at Sacramento. Morris is averaging 21.6 points while shooting 51.7 percent from 3-point range over his last five games and Larkin collected a season-high seven assists at Portland.

ABOUT THE KINGS (24-49): Players admitted it was difficult to focus on the game Thursday night with the protests going on outside Golden 1 Center, but rookie Justin Jackson was able to concentrate enough to produce the best game of his young career. The North Carolina product had a personal-best 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting - including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc - and is 14-for-17 from the floor over his last two games. "It definitely throws you off for sure," Jackson told reporters of the events outside the arena. "It even throws you off going out there and seeing all those seats empty and you know why. It was definitely tough. We did a good job of trying to stay as locked in as we could."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Sacramento is 8-5 at home against Eastern Conference opponents, compared to 5-18 against the West.

2. Celtics C Greg Monroe is averaging 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds off the bench over his last five games.

3. Irving and Brown scored 22 points apiece as Boston rolled over Sacramento 113-86 at home earlier this season.

PREDICTION: Celtics 108, Kings 105