NBA investigation determines Kings were not tanking in loss to Warriors

An NBA investigation has determined that the Sacramento Kings were not attempting to lose, or ‘tank’, in their recent road loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The final week of the 2025-26 NBA season is upon us. As always, the case for this time of season, standings, and seedings becomes the focal point, especially as we reach games 80, 81, and 82.

For some teams, that’s attempting to gain home-court advantage in their first postseason matchup. Others are fighting for a better spot within the play-in bracket, while the rest are monitoring their upcoming NBA Draft lottery odds.

Sacramento (21-59) falls into the latter category. Their first full season under head coach Doug Christie has been undeniably disappointing, but numerous extended injuries played a large part in that. Their projected starting lineup coming into the season never saw the floor together. Keeagan Murray and Domantas Sabonis didn’t suit up in the same game all season.

So, while tanking has been a hot-button topic throughout the course of this season, the Kings have rarely fallen under that category. Plenty of jokes were made about the difference between teams attempting to lose game and other (the Kings) who were just simply bad.

But late tactics in their loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 80 raised some eyebrows. With just over three minutes remaining, holding a one-point lead, Christie instructed Doug McDermott to foul Seth Curry despite the Warriors being in the bonus. Curry, an 86.4% career free-throw shooter, split the pair, tying the game.

Warriors forward Draymond Green brought the matter to light postgame.

“I saw a team tonight foul Seth Curry with three minutes to go in the game for no reason,” he told reporters. When asked what could be done to limit the tanking around the league, Draymond pointed towards money.

“I get fined when I do wrong,” he continued. “Just fine the hell outta people.”

Well, his comments sparked an NBA investigation into the moment. Two days following the Tuesday matchup, the league cleared the Kings, per ESPN‘s Shams Charania.

“The NBA has completed an investigation of the Sacramento Kings and Head Coach Doug Christie’s decision to foul intentionally late in the team’s game against the Golden State Warriors on April 7. The league’s investigation determined that Christie mistakenly believed that the Warriors were not in the penalty and therefore instructed his team to foul in an attempt to stop the clock and utilize one of the team’s remaining timeouts. The investigation found that Christie made no intentional effort to give the Warriors a shooting foul, or to cause the Kings to lose the game.”

• ESPN’s Shams Charania (4/9/26)

With two games remaining in their 2025-26 regular season, Sacramento is currently tied with the Utah Jazz for the 4th best lottery odds. Utah has lost 10 straight games. The first-place Wizards have dropped seven straight, while Indiana (2nd place) and Washington (3rd) are both 3-7 in their last 10 showings.

If anything, the Kings have won enough games post-All-Star break that any concerns about them tanking should be put to rest. Funnily enough, Green and the Warriors come into Golden 1 Center on Friday night for the Kings’ final home game of the season.

Listen to and watch Sactown Sports’ The Matt & Kayla Show with Matt George & Kayla Anderson, airing weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT on Sactown Sports.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will play their final home game of the 2025-26 season on Friday night when they face Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

• Maxime Raynaud believes he’s “the best big in this rookie class”
• Kings legend’s son has impressive showing in NCAA Tournament
• Jerry Reynolds: Kings need to prioritize talent over fit in the NBA Draft
• Have the Kings found their latest two-way success story?

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season

• Friday, April 10th vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
• Sunday, April 12th @ Portland Trail Blazers – 5:30 PM PT (End of season)

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