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Celtics host Kings in New Year's Eve matinee

Dec 31, 2014 - 2:40 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - There will be afternoon basketball in Boston on New Year's Eve, as the Celtics entertain the Sacramento Kings at TD Garden.

The Celtics look to stop a four-game losing streak Wednesday and suffered a 101-88 loss at Washington on Saturday. Former Celtic Paul Pierce led the Wizards with 17 points and Jeff Green scored a game-high 23 points in defeat.

"They were into us. They were physical. They were aggressive," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of the Wizards.

Washington, which led 30-12 after 12 minutes, had a 48-36 advantage in rebounds, scored 22 points off 18 Boston turnovers and shot 50 percent from the floor.

Kelly Olynyk had 15 points and Jared Sullinger scored 12 for the Celtics, who lost five in a row from Nov. 21-Dec. 2.

Boston is 2-7 against teams from the Western Conference and will also host Dallas on this quick stay in Beantown. In injury news for the Celtics, Sullinger (ankle) and Marcus Thornton (calf) are questionable Wednesday.

The Kings opened a four-game road trip with Monday's 107-99 loss at Brooklyn, as Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 49 points. Gay scored a game- best 25 points and Cousins added 24 to go along with 13 rebounds.

Darren Collison chipped in 16 points and eight assists for Sacramento, which turned the ball over 21 times for 25 Brooklyn points and has lost five in a row on the road.

"That's too many," Kings coach Tyrone Corbin said of the turnovers.

The Nets posted a 30-16 scoring advantage in the second and used an 8-2 run for a 101-90 lead with just over three minutes left. The Kings never threatened after that.

Sacramento is 5-8 away from home and has lost eight of its last 10 games. It will also visit Minnesota and Detroit on the eastern swing.

Gay and Cousins have been playing well, but the Kings haven't been able to benefit from the production. Gay has scored 20-plus points six times in the last eight games, while Cousins has contributed 12 double-doubles in the previous 13 contests. He has 16 on the season.

The Kings and Celtics will play the first of two meetings this season and are scheduled to square off again Feb. 20 in California. The two teams split a pair of games last season.

Boston has won the last six games in this series at home.