SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Doug Christie took over as the interim head coach of the Sacramento Kings amid a season-long losing streak, fans booing the team off their home court and questions surrounding the decision to fire Mike Brown, who led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 16 years in 2023<\/p>\n
Christie got his first win at the helm on Monday with a 110-100 win<\/a> over the Mavericks, a victory that meant just as much to the team\u2019s season as it did to him personally. It wasn\u2019t particularly easy, with the Kings falling behind by 18 points early to a Dallas team missing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n In the huddle, Christie told his players: \u201cYou\u2019re getting close.\u201d He cited 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 couple of technical fouls in the second half, Christie stressed to his players that they shouldn\u2019t allow the referees to derail the gameplan.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we going to still struggle from time to time?\u201d Christie said. \u201cYes, but the good will needed to happen to show that lot of things that we talk about \u2014 we\u2019re able to do. Now, we need to do it with the consistency, the intensity and the violent aggression, in my opinion, that needs to be there to win games at this level.\u201d<\/p>\n Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds, said that seeing Christie get his first win was \u201creally cool.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spent three summers now with him,\u201d Sabonis said. \u201cHe works his butt off and just to see him installing what he believes in the guys, and the guys reacting that quickly to it is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Being an NBA head coach, even with the interim tag, hasn\u2019t yet sunk in for Christie. He had been busy with assistant coaching and scouting duties ahead of getting the promotion, planning to catch up on some sleep when the team was in Los Angeles over the weekend. Instead, he found himself at the helm<\/a> against the Lakers, subsisting on 90-minute naps.<\/p>\n Christie\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n He wants the fans, who have endured 12 coaching changes since 2007 with just one playoff appearance, to know that they are appreciated, that they\u2019ll put a product on the floor that makes them proud and that they can root for players who gave it their all. From his players, he hopes for both understanding and love. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is hard,\u201d Christie said before the game. \u201cThis is high leverage, the best in the world. There are only a certain amount of people who do it, from my perspective and the players\u2019 perspective. Whatever you say about the word \u2018pressure,\u2019 it\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n Christie said that his job involves letting his players play after putting them in a position to succeed. Part of whether he succeeds as coach will hinge on his best player, De\u2019Aaron Fox, who pushed back earlier<\/a> on Monday on reports that he was involved in Brown\u2019s firing. <\/p>\n Christie, who has been an assistant with the Kings since 2021, won two games as an interim head coach in 2022 when Brown was sick. But Monday\u2019s win was his first on a semi-permanent basis, with the expectation that he\u2019ll get the rest of the season to prove himself as a head coach.<\/p>\n One of the aspects that Christie hopes to improve is the team\u2019s record in close contests. The Kings are 6-13 in games that are within five points in the final five minutes. He said that being \u201cclutch\u201d comes down to which team is willing to dive on the floor and \u201csacrifice themselves in a way that\u2019s going to hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to that point, what are you willing to do?\u201d Christie said. \u201cI know what I\u2019m willing to do for you, and I\u2019m going to support them in any way I can. Because it\u2019ll always be my fault. It\u2019ll never be their fault. They go do their job. I\u2019m here to take the bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n Christie said building off the win will involve understanding that turning the season around is a process and wins are a byproduct.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard in this league,\u201d Christie said. \u201cWinning is difficult. So, totally understand that. I think they\u2019re beginning to feel it, and that\u2019s going to be the process that we have to go through on a night-to-night basis. I\u2019m here for it, and I think that they\u2019re ready to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n