Doug Christie Admits What Went Wrong in Kings' Loss to Nets

After dropping from first to fourth in the NBA Draft lottery standings, the Sacramento Kings forced themselves to make up some ground in the final stretch of the season. On Sunday, they did just that with a 116-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. They now sit just half a game behind the Nets to move back into the top three, and just 1.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for first.

Regardless of their lottery position, this was a poor loss for the Kings. The Nets were on a ten-game losing streak heading into Sunday's game, and the Kings lost by 17 points, while failing to eclipse the 100-point mark. After the game, Doug Christie dove into what went wrong for the Kings in this loss.

"This is about professionalism," Christie said. "I thought early that we didn't meet the level of physicality. Then, the third quarter, we came out and met the level, and just kind of ran out of gas. But that first quarter is not really who we are and what we want to be about, and what we put out when we put on a Sacramento Kings jersey."

Playing to their standard

As Christie says, that showing is not how they want to represent the Kings. All season, regardless of their lowly 19-57 record, Christie has preached the importance of playing and competing at a high level. Regardless of whether it translates to wins, he wants to see his players go out there and at least compete.

"It doesn't matter if it's three [games] in four nights, four in seven, whatever it is, you have to come to compete. And we find a group that gives the proper energy and plays to our standard," Christie said.

The Kings quickly dug themselves a hole in the first half, trailing by as many as 27 points, and it was immediately obvious that they simply did not have it. Granted, they were playing severely shorthanded.

Injuries played a factor

Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan is instructed by head coach Doug Christie — Mar 19, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) is instructed by head coach Doug Christie during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Golden 1 Center. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Kings rolled out their youngest starting lineup of the season for Sunday's game, with an average age of 24.6. They were forced to play without veteran forward DeMar DeRozan for just the second time of the season, with other key veterans like Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk also sidelined.

"It's difficult because a lot of times, we look at Deebo (DeRozan), we look at Russ (Westbrook) ... Russ has the ability to not let the pressure bother him. ... And Deebo has the ability to play through him in the half-court that can really calm us down. ... But that's no excuse. These are valuable opportunities for our young players to figure out how to play and play with each other."

Of course, it is not bad that the Kings were forced to lean on their young core, as they can use these reps to grow and learn, especially in a meaningless game. However, the odds were against them to pull out a win with these injuries, regardless of how well some of their young players have been performing recently.