Doug Christie Points to Two Deciding Factors in Kings' Loss to Nuggets

The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 124-130 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night to return home with a 1-3 record. The Kings played a decent game, but never held the lead and couldn’t get enough stops down the stretch to overcome three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.

Sacramento had seven players score in double digits, led by point guard Russell Westbrook. The veteran put up a monster game in his return to Denver to face his former team. In his best performance as a King thus far, Westbrook poured in 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Kings fall in Denver 130-124. Sacramento kept pace but defensive stops in short supply. 34pts, 14 ast for Nikola Jokic. Russell Westbrook with 26. Kings return home for next 5 games.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) November 4, 2025

Defense is losing the Kings games

However, in what is becoming a familiar refrain this season, the Kings were not up to task on the defensive end of the floor. The offense has looked really good at times, even if it has been deceptively (and surprisingly) bad according to several metrics, but the defense is simply not good enough to win games consistently.

Head coach Doug Christie admitted as much in his postgame press conference. Regarding the final score, Christie said, “Not a problem with scoring the basketball, that’s for sure. I would even consider this a bit of an off night for us (offensively). It’s all about defense here.”

The game stats bear this out. The Kings outscored the Nuggets in the paint (56-54), on the fast break (15-9), in bench points (33-30), and in the fourth quarter (31-26) on Monday night. These are all key indicators, and Sacramento acquitted themselves quite well in these facets of the game, especially on the road against one of the league’s elite teams.

FINAL: Kings fall to the Nuggets, 130-124.

👑 Russell Westbrook: 26 PTS, 12 REB
👑 Domantas Sabonis: 13 PTS, 17 REB
👑 DeMar DeRozan: 19 PTS, 3 REB
👑 Dennis Schröder: 18 PTS, 9 AST
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 4, 2025

Cannot climb back from first-quarter deficit

Unfortunately, the Kings dug themselves a hole in the first quarter that proved too difficult to escape. Coach Christie spoke about the poor start, noting that “the collective sense of urgency in the first quarter just wasn’t there.”

He continued, “You look at the rest of the game, it was pretty much a wash. You can’t give them 39 points in the first quarter.” Christie’s blunt assessment of the Kings' effort to begin the contest was a stark reminder of exactly what type of team Sacramento has right now, particularly with forward Keegan Murray out with a thumb injury.

“We’re not at the level where you can work your way into the game; we gotta come out and we’ve got to be ready to roll immediately…especially on the defensive end,” Christie said. Not to be Captain Obvious here, but that is easier said than done.

Even at full strength, the Kings' roster is not loaded with top-level defensive talent. They must attempt to overcome their lack of individual defensive stoppers and play excellent team defense for four full quarters, something they have been unable to do even in their two victories this season.

Sacramento managed just five steals and one block for the game, and forced Denver into committing just seven turnovers. That level of disruption, or lack thereof, is not going to win very many games in today’s NBA. No team can expect to show up and outscore their opponent every night with minimal effort or execution on defense, least of all a team as flawed on that end as the Kings.

The Kings will look to right the ship when they return to Sacramento and begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Defense is losing the Kings games

Cannot climb back from first-quarter deficit

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