Doug Christie Finds Silver Lining in Kings' Loss to Magic

Coming off their biggest loss of the season, a 44-point defeat against the Charlotte Hornets, the Sacramento Kings bounced back in a valiant effort on Thursday night. The Kings held close with the Orlando Magic on the road on Thursday, before ultimately falling short in a 121-117 loss.

This marked the Kings' 55th loss of the season, moving to 19-55 overall as they sit in last place in the Western Conference. Despite the loss, though, Kings head coach Doug Christie appreciated his team's competitiveness in Orlando.

“The competitiveness, first and foremost. That’s what I told them. I mean, it’s hard. But they made 28 free throws. That’s a huge number and we’ve got to play defense without fouling. First and foremost, that is a big time key. But a couple bad bounces at the end, like the heave. You think that that’s not going to hit the rim and it’s probably going to be an air ball, touches the rim. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way," Christie said.

Kings show competitiveness vs. Magic

At this point in the season, many teams would be ready to give up in the Kings' position. They have been near the bottom of the NBA standings all season, yet with just a handful of games left, they are still fighting to compete. They are 5-5 in their last ten games, and while it has hurt their draft lottery positioning, their recent taste of success is what a team full of young players needs.

While Christie liked how his players competed in Orlando on Friday, he admits there is still work to do to get over the hump. Rightfully, he is not taking any moral victories.

"But the competitiveness, first and foremost, I thought was at a very high level. But close isn’t good enough. But I like the approach to the game. I like the mindset prior to the game. I like the attention to detail when we come to the gym and thought it translated to the floor," he finished.

After such a crushing loss to the Hornets, the Kings players deserve some props for bouncing back to at least show some effort against the Magic.

Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan led the way with 33 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists, as the 36-year-old has shown a recent burst of energy to prove he can still play at a high level. Arguably, a more notable performance, though, was from two-way forward Daeqwon Plowden. He dropped 23 points off the bench on 8-12 shooting from the field and 6-10 from three-point range.

Sure, the Kings' season is virtually over after being eliminated from playoff contention, but Christie has made sure his players are still competing at a high level.