The Sacramento Kings are 19-19 and 9th in the Western Conference. They are riding a six-game win streak after Mike Brown’s firing and Doug Christie becoming interim head coach.
The majority of the Sacramento Kings’ season has been bumpy, with multiple losing streaks. In several games, the Kings lost in tight battles, whether in overtime, missing key shots toward the end, or blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter. They started the season 0-2 and then went on a three-game win streak before a stretch of up-and-down games. They finished a three-game win streak on Nov.1 before losing their next game and then winning two before going 3-3.
After the Nov.16 win against the Utah Jazz, the Kings were 8-6, and the season looked good. Then, the season took a turn, and the Kings lost four in a row and dropped to 8-10. Since the Nov.25 loss, the up-and-down season continued. The Kings won their next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov.27 and then went 4-4 before going on a six-game losing streak.
During their six-game losing streak, the Kings tried to figure out their defensive struggles, as their rating was 112. The season took a turn for the worse after Head Coach Mike Brown was fired almost midway through his third year with the team. A losing record, sitting at the bottom of its conference, and a sudden fire left people wondering what was next for the Sacramento Kings’ season.
Mike Brown ended his tenure with a 107-88 record in two seasons, plus his 13-18 start to the 2024-2025 season. He also won Coach of the Year in his first season, leading the Kings to a No. 1 seed before losing to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round of the 2022-2023 playoffs. Besides Rick Adelman, Brown is the only other coach to lead the Kings to a winning record since the Kings moved to Sacramento. Brown had just signed a three-year extension through 2027 in June.
After the Brown firing, the Kings announced Assistant Coach Doug Christie as Interim Head Coach. Christie has been with the team since the 2020-2021 season after playing 14 seasons in the NBA for seven teams. Five were for the Sacramento Kings from 2000 to 2005, where he was named NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2003. He was named All-Defensive Second Team in 2001, 2002, and 2004 and helped the Kings reach the playoffs in each of his five seasons.
Interim Coach Chrisite is breathing life into this team after taking over head coaching duties. The Kings are 19-19, have moved up in the conference rankings, and are only two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. During their winning streak, the Kings are averaging 30 assists, 116 points, and a 106 defensive rating. The Kings pummeled the Golden State Warriors on Jan.5, winning 129-99, then beat the Miami Heat in double overtime on Jan.6, led by DeMar DeRozan’s 30 points. Power Forward Domantas Sabonis’ 28 points led a fourth-quarter rally against one of the best teams, the Boston Celtics on Jan. 10.
The Sacramento Kings’ next two games are away games against the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Sacramento Kings’ leading scorer (26.7), Point Guard De’Aaron Fox, is out with a hip injury but practiced on Wednesday. He is questionable to play Sunday against the Bulls. Fox also made Kings’ history with 60 points, the most ever in franchise history, in the overtime loss against the Timberwolves on Nov. 15. The Kings are .500 and two games behind a playoff spot in the Western Conference. We will see if Christie’s leadership can continue this surge for the Sacramento Kings as we near the halfway part of the season.
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