The Sacramento Kings are usually not simply successful beneath interim coach Doug Christie, they’re routinely pulling off come-from-behind victories.
On Wednesday night time, Sacramento overcame an 18-point deficit towards Golden State to finish a 123-117 victory. The comeback win marked the third occasion of the Kings, beneath Christie, overcoming a deficit of 15 or extra factors by means of his younger stint as interim coach.
Christie is the one coach within the twenty first century to tug off the feat inside his first 12 video games accountable for a group.
The three inconceivable wins have enabled Christie to take care of a 10-2 report since taking the reins from the axed Mike Brown.
In those 12 games, the Kings rank No. 1 in factors (122.2), tied No. 1 in win% (.833), tied third in rebounds (47.4) and fourth in assists (29.0). On the defensive finish, they’re ranked No. 8 within the league, conceding 111.4 factors per 100 possessions. Whereas the latter metric is not elite, it is a huge enchancment from Brown’s regime when the Kings ranked sixteenth and conceded 115.2 factors per 100 possessions.
Whereas Christie has put his imprint on the group — and their enjoying model — he has additionally accomplished wonders for a number of gamers, notably Malik Monk, Domantas Sabonis and Keon Ellis.
Monk is averaging 22.1 factors and seven.5 assists under Christie after logging 15.7 factors and 4.7 assists beneath Brown. The uptick within the assists is a testomony to Christie using Monk as extra of a playmaker, a call that has completely unlocked the Kings’ offense.
As for Sabonis, the Lithuanian double-double machine has benefited from Christie’s deal with more durable field outs, logging 20.3 factors and a whopping 16.1 rebounds beneath the interim coach. Beneath Brown he averaged practically three fewer rebounds with 13.5.
Third-year guard Ellis has practically doubled his factors — from 6.3 to 11.0 — beneath Christie whereas being afforded 5.2 extra minutes per recreation.
At the least 4 Kings are averaging over 20 factors beneath Christie — no different group can boast of such firepower over the previous month or so. With Wednesday’s win, the Kings (23-20) discover themselves only a recreation behind the fifth-seeded Lakers (23-18). Christie’s males may show to be a really harmful out for any group within the playoffs.
