The Kings currently have the second-longest active win streak in the West under interim coach Doug Christie.
Even though the playoffs are more than three months away, it’s interesting to analyze what has happened with the Sacramento Kings of late. The promotion of Doug Christie to the interim head coach role has lifted the team’s performance to the point that they’ve gotten themselves back into the (very early) playoff picture with another win Sunday.
However, that road win over the Golden State Warriors might be the most impressive of their current four-game winning streak, which is also a season-best streak for the club. They went to Chase Center and took it to the Warriors to the tune of a 129-99 score despite not having De’Aaron Fox available due to a glute injury.
Malik Monk led the way for Sacramento with 26 points and 12 assists, and he was one of seven Sacramento players who scored in double figures. Some other notable performers were Domantas Sabonis (22 points, 13 rebounds), DeMar DeRozan (12 points) and rookie Devin Carter (13 points, seven rebounds).
Sacramento’s ongoing four-game win streak also includes wins over the Grizzlies, 76ers and Mavericks. Those wins are despite the 76ers playing much-improved basketball of late, and the Warriors remaining elite when they have everything clicking. The Mavericks and Grizzlies are playoff-level teams in a tough Western Conference, as well, making them quality wins for Sacramento. The Kings will face the Heat on Monday (10 ET, NBA TV) before starting a three-game road trip through the Eastern Conference to take on the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
With Sunday’s win, the Kings are one game back from a Play-In spot and currently sit in 11th place. Christie hasn’t made significant changes to the rotation since he took over. However, the team looks different and is playing with a new energy, particularly on the defensive end of the court.
Maybe DeRozan said it best when asked about what has changed over the last few games amid the team’s winning run. “I would say it’s that more than anything, just going out there and playing freely with joy and for one another,” DeRozan responded when asked to explain the change, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
“Whenever you’re going through any type of ups and downs, when the downs come, everything just feels extremely bad,” he added. “Everything is just heightened to another level. I think with so much going on, it kind of hit the fan with having a coaching change in the middle of the season. So much was going on that we could just sit there and kind of sob in our sorrows and let things get worse. I think we just pulled together and pulled ourselves out of that more so than anything,” he added.
Maybe the Kings simply needed to tweak some things, or maybe Christie was the key to getting this core to maximize its potential. Either way, Sacramento looks rejuvenated and could be a threat in the Play-In race in the upcoming weeks. With the trade deadline exactly one month away on Feb. 6, it seems the team is starting to make its push up the standings.
