Kings interim coach Doug Christie gets 1st win after taking over for Mike Brown

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Doug Christie took over as interim head coach of the Sacramento Kings amid a season-long losing streak, fans booing the team from their home court and questions surrounding the decision to fire Mike Brown, who led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 16 year in 2023

Christie got his first victory at the helm on Monday with a 110-100 victory over the Mavericks, a win that meant as much to the team’s season as it did to him personally. It wasn’t very 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 guys are closing in.” He quoted 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 pair of technical fouls in the second half, Christie stressed to his players not to let the referees 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.

“Should we still fight from time to time?” Christie said. “Yes, but the good will had to happen to show that many things we are talking about – we are capable of. Now we have to do it with the consistency, the intensity and the fierce aggression that, in my opinion, should be there for to win games at this level.”

Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds, said seeing Christie get his first win was “really cool.”

“We’ve spent three summers now with him,” Sabonis said. “He works his ass off and just to see him install it, he believes in the guys and the guys reacting so quickly to it is amazing.”

Being an NBA head coach, even with the temporary cap, has yet to sink in for Christie. He had been busy with assistant coaching and scouting duties prior to the promotion, and planned to catch up on some sleep when the team was in Los Angeles this weekend. Instead he found himself at the helm against the Lakers, who live off 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.

He wants the fans, who have endured 12 coaching changes since 2007 with just one playoff appearance, to know they are valued, that they will put a product on the floor that makes them proud and that they can root for players, who gave it. their all. He hopes for both understanding and love from his players.

“It’s tough,” Christie said before the game. “This is high leverage, the best in the world. There’s 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 his job involves letting his players play after putting them in a position to succeed. Part of whether he succeeds as a coach will depend on his best player, De’Aaron Fox, who pushed back earlier Monday about reports that he was involved in Brown’s firing.

Christie, an assistant with the Kings since 2021, won two games as interim head coach in 2022 when Brown was ill. But Monday’s win was his first on a semi-permanent basis, with the expectation that he will have the rest of the season to prove himself as a head coach.

One of the aspects 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 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 will support them in any way I can. Because it will always be my fault. It will never be their fault. They go and do their jobs. I’m here to take the marbles.”

Christie said building off the win involves understanding that turning the season around is a process and winning is a byproduct.

“It’s tough in this league,” Christie said. “Winning is tough. So totally gets it. I think they’re starting to feel it and that’s going to be the process we have to go through on a night-to-night basis. I’m here for it and I think that they are ready to do so.”

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