Kings Coach Makes Blunt Statement After Knicks Loss

Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie got honest after their loss to the New York Knicks

Logan Struck | Mar 11, 2025

Feb 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie talks to guard Malik Monk (0) during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings got crushed by the New York Knicks at home on Monday night, losing 133-104. The Knicks were playing without Jalen Brunson and the Kings were missing Domantas Sabonis, but Sacramento got "punked," as Malik Monk would put it.

The Kings could not defend the Knicks, allowing them to shoot 55% from beyond the arc on 40 attempts. Sacramento has now lost two consecutive games and three of their last four, falling to 33-31 on the season and are two games back from the eighth-place Clippers.

Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) controls the ball against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32)

Mar 10, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) controls the ball against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Kings have been put in a tough position. They fired head coach Mike Brown after 31 games and made a blockbuster deal to trade away franchise point guard De'Aaron Fox at the trade deadline. Their 2024-25 campaign has been far from ideal, and interim head coach Doug Christie is not afraid to admit it.

Following their loss to the Knicks on Monday, Christie made an interesting analogy as to how it feels amid a hectic season.

"The airplane is in the air but we're fixing it while we're in the air," Christie said.

Not many teams face as much adversity in a season as the Kings this year, but they have still put themselves in a position to make a postseason run. With Christie at the helm, the Kings are 20-13, a vast improvement from Brown's 13-18 record before getting fired.

The Kings are certainly still trying to find their identity with their new-look lineup, but if they fall short of the playoffs for the second consecutive year, some more major changes may be on the way.