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BOSTON -- A runaway start for the Boston Celtics turned into a tight finish.Al Horford led the Celtics early and late, with 26 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots to lead Boston to a 97-92 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.He just was aggressive. He knocked down his shots. He did what we needed him to do and he carried us tonight, said Isaiah Thomas, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Celtics hold off the Kings.Jae Crowder added 16 points and Avery Bradley had 15 points and nine assists for Boston, which needed a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away and finish off the Kings.Sacramento continued to scrap until the end. Horford helped seal it with six seconds left when he swatted away 3-point attempt by DeMarcus Cousins, then hit a pair of foul shots for Bostons final points.I know that he tried to draw something there. I just stayed solid and not let him get a shot off, Horford said. Im just trying to be active -- as active as I can be.Sacramento outrebounded Boston 51-44, but hurt itself in the final period with turnovers, missed shots and a technical foul called on Matt Barnes as Boston surged ahead.Cousins led Sacramento with 28 points and nine rebounds. Darren Collison and Rudy Gay scored 13 apiece for the Kings.Cousins is Cousins. Hes going to score, Boston coach Brad Stevens said. Hes to get 28 points or whatever he got, but you cant let those other guys have huge nights too.The Kings were playing for the first time since Monday. Sacramentos six-game road trip was interrupted when Wednesdays game at Philadelphia was postponed because of condensation on the floor.The layoff showed early as the Celtics went up by 13 points in the first period, but the Kings regrouped and rallied to tie it by the end of the quarter.Its almost like we have to get hit first for us to react. Its not good for us, Cousins said. Were in the situation where we have to come in and be aggressive every night. If we dont figure this out, were going to continue to have these kind of games and just another losing season.BIG ALIt was Horfords best game since leaving Atlanta to sign with Boston over the summer. His previous high for scoring with the Celtics was 20 points and he hadnt blocked more for Boston since getting four against Brooklyn in his Celtics debut.Hes all over the place. He covers a lot of ground. He calls out calls. I think hes a competitive guy and thats proved in his winning track record, Stevens said. One thing about Al -- hes always in the stands. His arms are always long. He takes up a lot of space and he reacts quickly to what is going on.SLOW-DOWN OFFENSEThe Kings had their chances to win in Boston for the first time since 2007. They didnt help themselves down the stretch, making just 6 of 23 in the fourth quarter and going without a field goal from Gays layup with 8:33 remaining until Gay hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left to play pulled Sacramento within 84-81.We got off to a really slow start, Gay said. Theyre a good team but we shot ourselves in the foot today.BIG BENCHSacramento reserves outscored Bostons 33-12. Barnes led the Kings reserves with 12 points and sparking Sacramentos rally in the first quarter after the dreadful start.Their bench crushed us when they came in, Stevens said. I didnt think we responded to attacking them well or defending them well with their energy in that group.TIP-INSKings: The Kings closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run to tie it at 29-all entering the second period. ... ... Sacramento entered the game having lost eight straight visits to Boston.Celtics:Horford scored 12 of Bostons 29 points in the first quarter. ... Thomas led the Celtics in scoring the previous 14 straight games.UP NEXT:Kings: Continue a long road trip Sunday at New York.Celtics: At Philadelphia on Saturday in the first of three straight on the road Antti Raanta Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Mikkel Boedker Jersey .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. https://www.cheapcoyotes.com/ . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Teppo Numminen Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Bobby Hull Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said day-night Tests are likely to be the future of cricket, just the way Twenty20s have gained popularity over ODIs in the last few years. Misbah also expressed reservations about the visibility of the pink ball, but said it would probably lead to a fair competition between bat and ball.At the moment, it looks like [the future] keeping in mind the interest of the audience, who want to watch Test cricket, Misbah said a day before Pakistans first day-night Test, against West Indies in Dubai. After they [spectators] come from work, its a good opportunity and you will see it mostly in future. Lets see how it goes with the pink ball, its an experiment. First the one-day came, then Twenty20 came, so [day-night Test] is a good step to keep the Tests alive.When asked about the pink ball in particular, Misbahs main concern related to the timing of the Test; he said the players would have to readjust to the pink ball once the lights come on later in the day. Misbah also did not hesitate to crack a joke, when asked if the pink ball needed more grass to survive on.The only difference is the different timing [of the matches], just the visibility because its different for red ball and white ball, he said. Maybe when the pink ball gets older, you have to look at it carefully as a batsman because it could be difficult at times [under lights]. You need to make a few adjustments here and there. Overall, its good playing under lights also. Its not like its terribly difficult for the batsmen. Its a fair competition between bat and ball.Maybe the pink ball survives on grassy pitches but we also have to make sure that we survive as a team, Misbah said with a laugh. You look at your strengths and I believe that its up to the team; the better team performs well in all conditions and that is the bottom line. I think if you are a good team, then you do well irrespective of the circumstances. Forget about the pink ball and lights, just go out and perform.Pakistan had recently moved to No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings after drawing 2-2 in England, and rose to the top for the first time since the current ranking system was introduced when Indias last Test in the West Indies was washed out. Now No. 2 again after Indias home series win against New Zealand, Misbah said they would rather focus on the upcoming series against West Indies than the rankings.ddddddddddddThats not important for us, Misbah said. The most important thing is to do well; we are more attentive to our performance in this series. You cant take West Indies lightly because they are a young side and they have everything to prove and such a side is more motivated. We have done well in the last six years, did well on the England tour so the expectations are high. Pakistan would, however, be without Younis Khan for the first Test as the batsman was advised 10 days of rest to recover from a bout of dengue fever. That would probably mean a debut for an in-form Babar Azam, who struck three straight centuries in the recent ODIs, and maybe a shuffle in the batting order too. Pakistan had already moved Azhar Ali to No. 3 during the England tour after Shoaib Maliks Test retirement last year, and tried Asad Shafiq ahead of Younis only for the fourth Test, in which Shafiq shone with a century.I think at the start it was tough, we had to do that in England and considering the conditions it was tough. Not only promoting Azhar but also Asad for No. 3, Misbah said. Once we did that and it was successful, we know can do that again. It was a chance to bring in the fifth bowler and bring in a youngster at No. 7. I think a window has opened. I think opening and batting at No. 3 here is a good opportunity before the [upcoming away] New Zealand series, so its an advantage to do this before a tough series and settle down on a structure and a balance.I think there could be no better time than this to make his Test debut, Misbah said of Azam. He has played mature innings and has developed well. He has played well not only here but also in New Zealand and looks a good prospect. He is lucky to get a chance at this time, unfortunately because of Younis absence due to ill health, but I think this is the best time.Pakistan will be playing their 400th Test starting Thursday and Misbah said it would be a source of motivation for the players to make the historic match memorable for them. ' ' '