Christie earns first signing win as Kings meet his ‘expectations’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Doug Christie finally has his defining moment as an NBA coach. This occurred in the midst of what is arguably the The Kings’ most significant victory of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Riding a three-game winning streak against teams without their best player, the Kings arrived in San Francisco without their own star as De’Aaron Fox continues to recover from a serious foul that he absorbed two nights earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies.
It didn’t seem to matter at all.
From the start, the Kings were all over the Warriors, alternately scoring in waves while preventing two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry from doing too much damage. Curry scored 26 points but made only 12 shots in nearly 30 minutes.
Sacramento also had one of its best complete games. Eleven Kings players scored, seven of them in double figures.
“We knew we had to come out strong,” said guard Malik Monk, who had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds while finishing at plus-41. “Especially without Fox, we had to play together, move the ball, get everyone involved. We did a great job doing that.
It was the Kings’ second-biggest win over the Warriors in franchise history, a game at Chase Center in which jubilant Sacramento fans chanted “Light the Beam” in the fourth quarter.
Afterward, it was Christie who beamed.
“They play hard, they play with all their heart, and like I tell them, at the end of the night when you do that, you can look in the mirror and you can be proud,” Christie said. “You’re not always going to win and you’re not always going to have winning streaks and that kind of thing, but the one thing you can control is how you come out and how you attack. I thought they were continuing on the path of my expectations.
It was as convincing a win as the Kings have had all season.
When the Warriors were winning their NBA championships behind Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the Kings were considered their little brother.
At least for one night, the little brother took over the big brother.
It started right away too.
Sacramento has struggled throughout the season with slow and sloppy early starts. Against Golden State, it wasn’t a problem.
The Kings outscored the Warriors 36-21 and forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, establishing a lead that was never really threatened.
“That’s what we struggle with, hitting people first,” Monk said. “We did it in the first quarter and that set the tone for sure.”
Seeing Christie almost have an altercation with Warriors coach Steve Kerr also helped set a certain tone. The two chewed each other out after Keon Ellis hit a hard screen from Green and fell to the ground.
Kerr seemed upset about a possible Ellis flop, while Christie entered the mix to defend Ellis. Domantas Sabonis finally intervened and escorted Christie to the bench.
“I always protect my player, that’s really all it is,” Christie said. “I have the utmost respect for every player there. I know from playing in this league what they go through seeing them reach the highest level, so it’s just love. The competitive nature of the game is the competitive nature.
The Kings front office has yet to face questions about the reasons for Brown’s firing, but collectively the players point to better communication.
“We’ve bought into what DC is doing,” Monk said. “We all just bought into it, and we all feel good and confident in what he’s saying.” He’s played it before, so I think he knows how to tell us a little better than people who haven’t played this game before.
Christie deflected any praise and instead praised his players for the turnaround.
“I think they play for each other,” Christie said. “I try to make them understand that this is how basketball should be played in my mind. It’s a team sport and in a team sport you have teams playing one-man or two-man basketball. I’m looking for five-a-side basketball.
“That’s what this fantastic fan base and team has done for many years, which has taken them to championships. It’s all of them playing, the ball is moving, the guys are cutting. There’s joy in that and I think that’s kind of what you recognize.
