The Boston Celtics defeated the Sacramento Kings, 101-100, at TD Garden on Friday night.

The Celtics (61-16) came into the contest with the satisfaction of knowing they'd already locked in the NBA's best record and home-court advantage throughout the postseason, but they still played with urgency during a first quarter they emerged from with a 27-15 lead. That seemed to wake up the Kings (44-33), which are still angling for postseason positioning, as they shaved all but eight points from their deficit before halftime. However, Boston got that advantage right back in the third, but Sacramento's fourth-quarter push, which saw them outscore the hosts by a 28-17 margin, was almost enough for the upset victory until Xavier Tillman's go-ahead floating jumper with 7.1 seconds remaining and three straight subsequent misses by the Kings.

De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 40 points, complementing them with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Domantas Sabonis generated a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double that included six assists, one steal and one block. Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes posted 10 points apiece while pulling down 11 and five rebounds, respectively.

Payton Pritchard paced the Celtics with 21 points, supplementing them with three assists, one rebound and two steals. Kristaps Porzingis generated a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double that included two assists, two steals and one block. Jayson Tatum furnished 17 points, six boards and five assists. Jrue Holiday supplied 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

The Kings remain on the road and visit the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, while the Celtics host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday evening.