Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie addressed the team’s offensive struggles following a 100-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday. “Holding them to 100 points defensively solid enough to win the game, and I have to figure out a way to help them offensively,” Christie said.
Christie cited a lack of ball movement in the second half as a key factor. “The ball has to move… guys have to cut with pace, put pressure on the defense, and the second half was… part of it is our offense also affects our defense, and that just can’t happen,” he explained.
On closing out games, Christie highlighted the importance of shot selection. “Debo is one of the best closers… we have to have patience to have good shot selection… tonight, on top of other things, that did not happen late,” he said.
Christie addressed a miscommunication on the final play. “We work today on a play and the guys chose to run wide… everyone knew the play and they ran wide, which was not my choice in that moment,” he noted.
He praised the Kings’ young bigs for their defensive effort against Anthony Davis. “One fouled out, the other had five, but still… they fought and they were physical… super proud of the way they went about it,” Christie said.
Christie also reflected on the use of iso plays in late-game situations. “There’s a closing package… you get the ball in the closer’s hands and allow him to make the right decision… that’s the whole point,” he said, noting the effectiveness of Dallas’ execution on Brandon Williams’ game-winning three-pointer.
DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 21 points, while Zach LaVine contributed 20 in his return from a nine-game absence. Maxime Reynaud added 14 points, but the Kings failed to convert late opportunities as Dennis Schroder, Russell Westbrook, and DeRozan missed potential go-ahead three-pointers.
Sacramento shot 42% overall, including 29% from three-point range, while Dallas shot 41% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 19 points and 20 points, respectively, helping Dallas outscore the Kings by 14 after halftime.
The Mavericks improve to 14-23 and will face Utah on Thursday, while the Kings drop to 8-29 and travel to Golden State on Friday.
