Doug Christie Speaks On Kings Strong Identity Over Last 3 Games

The Sacramento Kings have shown signs of life over the last three games, including a hard-fought win over the Houston Rockets last night.

Nov 20, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie reacts during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Not much has gone right this season for the Sacramento Kings, but over the last three games, it feels like we've seen more positive signs than in the first 26 games combined. That's obviously a hyperbole, but it can't be ignored that the team is playing with a style and fight that we haven't seen much so far this season.

While the Kings didn't get a win in two close games against the Portland Trail Blazers, they did take down the Houston Rockets in an impressive win last night with arguably their best performance of the season so far.

Sactown 1140's Brenden Nunes asked Doug Christie about the emphasis that he and Scott Perry had coming into the year and how the team played with that sense of urgency in the win, and the first-year head coach gave a very encouraging answer about how the Kings have leaned into that identity last night and over the last three games.

"You know I really think that our last three games have been very targeted towards what we want and how we want to play. There's a competitiveness, that before we move on to plays, numbers, and all these things, there's a competitiveness that is a must, an absolute must, to even compete in our league. So we have to find that."

The Kings having just seven wins to 22 losses this season is one thing, but it's another with how many games they've been completely blown out early on in the year. Christie saying the team needs to work on their competitiveness is putting it lightly with how the season has gone so far.

Christie Speaks on Joy

Christie continued to talk about finding joy in the game and the arena, as Kings fans continue to show up regardless of the record, and the arena was raucous last night against the Rockets.

"Sometimes you're subbing guys out because they're not doing it, but right now, man for man, I said compete and play with joy. And there was a joy on the floor, on the bench, and in the building. So identity-wise, just like I talked about Golden 1 beginning to get its identity, we begin to gain our identity. It's going to be bumpy...but if it were easy, everyone would have an identity, and it'd be all these great teams. But you've got to go through it. Some people don't want to go through it, some aren't patient, there's a lot of different reasons that it happens. But we're on the road to getting to where we want to go, and I think the last three games have been a good example of that."

There are a lot of interesting bits to that quote, from subbing guys out that are not showing the level of competitivenss that Christie is looking for to some people not being patient through the process. But the key is that the Kings are on the right track these last three games, and are at least fun to watch again. In a season that has gone sideways quickly, that's a great sign as the culture and identity building continues to be the most important part of the Kings season.