SACRAMENTO KINGS

Kings Roundtable: Kings defense propelled them through winning streak

Jan 15, 2025, 1:44 PM

With the Sacramento Kings ending their seven-game win streak against the Bucks in Milwaukee, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what worked during their run.

Chris Watkins and Brenden Nunes joined The Allen Stiles Show on Wednesday to discuss their defensive growth, trade deadline outlook, changes under Doug Christie, and more.

During the seven-game run, the Kings posted a 106.5 defensive rating (3rd) and 117.5 offensive rating (7th), clearly displaying where their most notable growth came.

With plenty of season remaining, as Sacramento sits at 20-20, where do they go from here? The trio discussed their trade deadline outlook and who should be considered on the table for general manager Monte McNair.

Of course, there’s the lingering De’Aaron Fox question as well. Has this streak been encouraging when it comes to his future in California’s capital? Well, making another trade to propel the roster in a continued upward trajectory certainly would help.

Plus, what’s changed since making the change from Mike Brown to interim head coach Doug Christie?

Allen, Brenden, and Chris broke down all that and more on the latest edition of the Kings Roundtable.

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Allen Stiles Show.

More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports

The Sacramento Kings seven game-win streak came to an end Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee, but their positive climb up the standings remains.

Kings’ color analyst Kayte Christensen joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Wednesday to discuss how they’ve been getting it done, Doug Christie’s impact as head coach, and how DeMar DeRozan tried to get his teammates to understand their new leader better.

Being 7-2 under Christie is better than most would’ve expected when Sacramento elected to move on from Mike Brown. Their apparent stylistic differences as coaches have stood out early as Christie continues to solidify his style.

Kayte highlighted his uplifting messaging and how that’s seemed to uplift this roster.

“Doug’s mentality is very much about elevating you from a mental standpoint, and you need that. You need that from a coach,” she said. “That’s just who Doug is. It’s who he was as a player. It’s who he is as a coach, and I think that that really is resonating with the players on a really high, high level.”

Kayte Christensen credits Kings recent success to defense, pace, and Christie

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will return home for a three-game homestand that will begin on Thursday night against the Houston Rockets in front of a national audience on TNT.

Back on December 3rd, the Kings delivered one of their best showings of the year against the Rockets, winning by a final of 120-111 behind a 14-of-30 (46%) showing from beyond the arc.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Rockets drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

  • Thursday, January 16th – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
  • Sunday, January 19th – vs. Washington Wizards – 6:00 PM PT
  • Wednesday, January 22nd – vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
  • Thursday, January 23rd – @ Denver Nuggets – 6:00 PM PT
  • Saturday, January 25th – @ New York Knicks – 4:30 PM PT

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