Doug Christie earns first signature Kings win with blowout of Warriors – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

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

After 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 to recover from a tough foul he absorbed two nights earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies .

It didn’t seem to matter.

Right out of the gate, the Kings were all over the Warriors, alternating scoring waves while keeping two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry from doing too much damage. Curry scored 26 points but took just 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 just had to 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 everyone involved. We did a good job with it.”

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

In the aftermath, it was Christie who shone.

“They play hard, they play their hearts out, and like I tell them, at the end of the night, when you do that, you can look at 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 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 that path that my expectations had.”

It was as convincing a win as the Kings have had all season.

When the Warriors won their NBA championships behind Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the Kings were seen as the little brother.

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

It also started immediately.

Sacramento has had ongoing thorn all season with slow and sloppy first 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’ve struggled with, hitting people first,” Monk said. “We did that in the first quarter and that was definitely the tone.”

Seeing Christie almost get into an argument with Warriors coach Steve Kerr also helped set a certain tone. The two sparred after Keon Ellis ran into a hard screen by Green and fell to the floor.

Kerr appeared to be upset about 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 just always protect 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 to see 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 about the reasoning for firing Brown, but collectively, the players point to better communication.

“We bought into what DC is doing,” Monk said. “We’ve 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 who didn’t play the game before.”

Christie dismissed any praise headed his way and instead praised his players for the turnaround.

“I think they play off each other,” Christie said. “I try to get them to understand that this is 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 great fan base and team has done for many years that led them to championships. It’s all of them making plays, the ball moving, guys cutting. There’s a joy in that, and I think it is a bit of what you recognize.”

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