Kings vs. Celtics: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White injury updates; playoffs; scouting reports

The Kings find themselves in a perilous position as they prepare to face the Boston Celtics on the second night of a back-to-back Friday at TD Garden.

Sacramento suffered a 120-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday in the first game of a four-game road trip that could seal their fate as a play-in team after earning the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs last season. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA and a 33-3 record at home, but the Kings might catch them a bit shorthanded with Jaylen Brown (left hand sprain) and Derrick White (low back contusion) listed as questionable.

Brown, Boston’s second-leading scorer, is averaging 23.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. White, a candidate for All-Defensive honors, averages 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks.

The Kings (44-32) are eighth in the West, one game behind the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 6 seed with only six games remaining. Sacramento is now just a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth, although the Kings hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series against their Southern California rivals.

The top six teams in the West will earn automatic playoff berths. The next four teams will have to fight their way in through the play-in tournament. The teams that finish seventh and eighth will have two chances to win one play-in game for a playoff bid. The teams that finish ninth and 10^th will have to win two games in a row to reach the playoffs.

The Celtics (60-16) have no such concerns as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have an astonishing 13-game lead over the No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks

This will be the second and final meeting between the Kings and Celtics this season. The Celtics handed the Kings one of their worst losses of the season, winning 144-119 on Dec. 20 in Sacramento.

Scouting Sacramento

De’Aaron Fox put up 29 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals in Thursday’s game against the Knicks, going 11 of 26 from the field and 6 of 13 from 3-point range. He is averaging 26.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals with 22 steals in the past six games.

Domantas Sabonis averages 19.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He continues to lead the league in rebounding, double-doubles (72) and triple-doubles (26). Sabonis has posted 59 consecutive double-doubles, the longest single-season streak since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

The Kings are missing third-leading scorer Malik Monk, who is out with a right MCL sprain. Monk, the NBA’s leading bench scorer and a top Sixth Man of the Year candidate, is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Kevin Huerter (10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists) is also out after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Keegan Murray has a green light to take his aggressiveness and scoring to another level with Monk and Huerter out. Murray is averaging 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds on 46/36/82 shooting splits. The Kings also need maximum assertiveness from Harrison Barnes. The veteran forward is averaging 12.2 points while shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc, but he went scoreless on two field-goal attempts in 14:47 against the Knicks, resulting in him being benched for most of the second, third and fourth quarters.

Trey Lyles has been outstanding since returning from a nine-game absence due to a sprained knee, scoring 36 points on 13-of-27 shooting in three games. Sasha Vezenkov, who missed 22 games with a sprained ankle, went 3 of 7 from 3-point range with 11 points against the Knicks.

Davion Mitchell is averaging career lows of 4.9 points and 14.5 minutes per game on the year, but he has reestablished himself as a key rotation player over the second half of the season. Mitchell’s confidence is at an all-time high after shooting 47.6% from 3-point range in February and 41.7% in March. Over the past six games, he averaged 10.8 points while going 25 of 44 (.568) from the field and 11 of 18 (.611) from beyond the arc with 14 rebounds, 11 assists and one turnover.

Scouting Boston

Jayson Tatum, who could be a top-five MVP candidate, is averaging 27.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He is shooting 47.4% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.

Kristaps Porzingis averages 20.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 51.6% from the field and 37.1% from long distance. Jrue Holiday, an All-Defense candidate, averages 12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists while making 46.6% from the field and 43.3% from beyond the arc.

Sam Hauser (8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 43.8% 3FG), Al Horford (8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 42.3% 3FG) and Payton Pritchard (8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 37.7% 3FG) are playing key roles off the bench as the Celtics seek their 18th NBA championship.

Status update

The Celtics will be missing two starters as Brown and White have both been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Kings.

Kings at Celtics

When: 4:30 p.m.

Where: TD Garden

TV: NBC Sports California, NBA TV

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140

Odds: Celtics -9.5

Over/under: 225.5

Injury report

Kings: OUT — Jordan Ford (G League); Kevin Huerter (shoulder); Mason Jones (G League); Malik Monk (knee); Jalen Slawson (G League).

Celtics: QUESTIONABLE — Jaylen Brown (hand); Derrick White (back). OUT — JD Davison (G League); Drew Peterson (G League); Neemias Queta (G League); Jaden Springer (knee); Jordan Walsh (G League).

Upcoming schedule

April 5 at Boston Celtics

April 7 at Brooklyn Nets

April 9 at Oklahoma City Thunder

April 11 vs. New Orleans Pelicans

April 12 vs. Phoenix Suns