Game Recap: Kings 110, Mavericks 100
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doug Christie took over as the interim head coach of the Sacramento Kings amid a season-long losing streak, fans booing the team off their home court and questions surrounding the decision to fire Mike Brown, who led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 16 years in 2023
Christie got his first win at the helm on Monday with a 110-100 win over the Mavericks, a victory that meant just as much to the team’s season as it did to him personally. It wasn’t particularly easy, with the Kings falling behind by 18 points early to a Dallas team missing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
In the huddle, Christie told his players, “You’re getting close.” He cited a Bob Marley lyric about taking a bucket to the well and not knowing when the bottom will fall out. After the Kings picked up a couple of technical fouls in the second half, Christie stressed to his players that they shouldn’t allow the referees to derail the game plan.
They responded, closing the third quarter on a 17-2 run and snapping a six-game losing streak to give the 15-year NBA veteran his first win since taking over the Kings.
“Are we going to still struggle from time to time?” Christie said. “Yes, but the good will needed to happen to show that lot of things that we talk about — we’re able to do. Now, we need to do it with the consistency, the intensity and the violent aggression, in my opinion, that needs to be there to win games at this level.”
Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds, said that seeing Christie get his first win was “really cool.”
“We’ve spent three summers now with him,” Sabonis said. “He works his butt off and just to see him installing what he believes in the guys, and the guys reacting that quickly to it is awesome.”
Being an NBA head coach, even with the interim tag, hasn’t yet sunk in for Christie. He had been busy with assistant coaching and scouting duties ahead of getting the promotion, planning to catch up on some sleep when the team was in Los Angeles over the weekend. Instead, he found himself at the helm against the Lakers, subsisting on 90-minute naps.
Christie’s initial goals are incremental: Simplifying the offense in game one, followed by the defense in game two. The Kings held the Mavericks to just 40 points in the second half.
“When they step inside those lines, it’s always us versus them, and it’s always us.”
Coach Christie on the mindset he hopes to instill into the squad for each game. pic.twitter.com/wdnd5xqaeF
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 31, 2024
He wants the fans, who have endured 12 coaching changes since 2007 with just one playoff appearance, to know that they are appreciated, that they’ll put a product on the floor that makes them proud and that they can root for players who gave it their all. From his players, he hopes for both understanding and love.
“This is hard,” Christie said before the game. “This is high leverage, the best in the world. There are only a certain amount of people who do it, from my perspective and the players’ perspective. Whatever you say about the word ‘pressure,’ it’s there.”
Christie said that his job involves letting his players play after putting them in a position to succeed. Part of whether he succeeds as coach will hinge on his best player, De’Aaron Fox, who pushed back earlier on Monday on reports that he was involved in Brown’s firing.
Christie, who has been an assistant with the Kings since 2021, won two games as an interim head coach in 2022 when Brown was sick. But Monday’s win was his first on a semi-permanent basis, with the expectation that he’ll get the rest of the season to prove himself as a head coach.
One of the aspects that Christie hopes to improve is the team’s record in close contests. The Kings are 6-13 in games that are within five points in the final five minutes. He said that being “clutch” comes down to which team is willing to dive on the floor and “sacrifice themselves in a way that’s going to hurt.”
“When it comes to that point, what are you willing to do?” Christie said. “I know what I’m willing to do for you, and I’m going to support them in any way I can. Because it’ll always be my fault. It’ll never be their fault. They go do their job. I’m here to take the bullets.”
Christie said building off the win will involve understanding that turning the season around is a process and wins are a byproduct.
“It’s hard in this league,” Christie said. “Winning is difficult. So, totally understand that. I think they’re beginning to feel it, and that’s going to be the process that we have to go through on a night-to-night basis. I’m here for it, and I think that they’re ready to do it.”
