Christie earns first signature win as Kings meet his ‘expectations’

Christie earns first signature win as Kings meet his ‘expectations’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Doug Christie finally has his signature moment as an NBA coach. It came amid what arguably is the Kings’ most significant victory of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Riding a three-game winning streak built against teams missing their best player, the Kings arrived in San Francisco minus their own star as De’Aaron Fox continues recovering from a hard foul he absorbed two nights earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies.

It didn’t seem to matter at all.

Right out of the gate the Kings were all over the Warriors, alternately scoring waves while keeping two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry from doing too much damage. Curry scored 26 points but took only 12 shots in nearly 30 minutes.

Sacramento also had one of its best all-around games. Eleven Kings players scored, seven of them in double figures.

“We knew we had to just come out strong,” said guard Malik Monk, who had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds while finishing plus-41. “Especially without Fox, we had to play together, move the ball, get everybody involved. We did a great job doing it.”

It was the Kings’ second-largest win over the Warriors in franchise history, a game at Chase Center that had gleeful Sacramento fans chanting “Light the Beam” in the fourth quarter.

In the aftermath, Christie was the one beaming.

“They play hard, they play their heart out, and like I tell them, at the end of the night, when you do that, you can look yourself 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 those things, but the one thing you can control is how you go out and how you attack. I thought they continued down 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 looked at as the little brother.

At least for one night, little brother got the upper hand on big brother.

It started right away, too.

Sacramento has had ongoing thorn all season with slow and sloppy first starts. Against Golden State, it wasn’t an issue.

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’ve been struggling with, hitting people first,” Monk said. “We did that in the first quarter and that set the tone, for sure.”

Seeing Christie nearly get into an altercation with Warriors coach Steve Kerr also helped set a certain tone. The two jawed at each other after Keon Ellis ran into a hard screen by Green and dropped to the floor.

Kerr appeared to be upset at a possible flop by Ellis, while Christie entered the mix to defend Ellis. Domantas Sabonis eventually stepped in and escorted Christie back to the bench.

“I’m just always protecting my player, that’s really all it is,” Christie said. “I have the utmost respect for every single player over there. I know from playing in this league what they go through in watching them reach the highest level, so it’s nothing but love. The competitive nature of the game is the competitive nature.”

The Kings front office has yet to face questions over the reasoning for firing Brown, but collectively the players point to better communication.

“We bought in to 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 played before so I think he knows how to say it to us a little better than people that didn’t play the game before.”

Christie deflected any praise headed his way and instead lauded his players for the turnaround.

“I think they’re playing for each other,” Christie said. “I’m trying to get them to understand that’s the way basketball should be played in my mind. This is a team sport and in a team sport, you have teams that play one-man basketball, two-man basketball. I’m looking for five-man basketball.

“That’s what this fantastic fan base and team has done for many years that led them to championships. It’s all of them playing, the ball is moving, guys are cutting. There’s a joy in that and I think that’s a little bit of what you’re recognizing.”

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