Kings coach Doug Christie responds to Zach LaVine’s comments about bad vibes in Sacramento
Interim Kings coach Doug Christie heard Zach LaVine’s comments about the vibe in the Sacramento locker room.
Christie understood the emotions behind LaVine’s words, but he disagreed with the sentiment.
“The vibe is not good,” LaVine said following Monday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. “It shouldn’t be. We’re not happy with the way we’ve been performing individually and as a group.”
No one in Sacramento is satisfied after watching the Kings lose four in a row and eight of their last 10, but Christie was quick to respond when asked about LaVine’s remarks before Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He was incorrect,” Christie said. “I think when you ask a question like that when you go through a little bit of a losing streak, it’s more about not being happy that you lost, like I’m upset that I lost.
“But when I addressed them upstairs, everybody sat down, and the first thing I said was I’m happy to see that your vibe was right because I was about to say something, but their vibe was spectacular, and that’s how it’s always been.”
The Kings maintained a united front after suffering a 121-105 loss to the Thunder on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. They rallied from a 24-point deficit to get within six in the third quarter, but they trailed by as many as 25 after Oklahoma City pulled away in the fourth.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Thunder (60-12), which has the best record in the NBA and a 13 ½-game lead over the No. 2 Houston Rockets in the Western Conference.
Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe combined for 29 points off the bench.
Keegan Murray had a season-high 28 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots for the Kings (35-37), who will conclude a seven-game homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. The third-year forward from Iowa went 9 of 15 from the field and 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
LaVine had 19 points and seven assists. Domantas Sabonis finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and eight assists after going 3 of 12 from the field and 0 of 4 from long distance.
Murray weighed in on the team’s locker room vibe after the game.
“I don’t think it’s bad,” Murray said. “It’s obviously not a great stretch to be in, especially with the teams that we just played and we still have to play. If you have a bad locker room, that’s not a good sign for the rest of the season. I think everyone’s still connected together, so I’m not worried about the vibe in the locker room.”
Christie understood LaVine’s feelings, but he got philosophical while explaining the chemistry and connectivity he wants to see from his team.
“I know Zach takes this serious, and they all do,” Christie said. “But there’s also understanding that your vibe ain’t only right when you’re winning. That’s counter to what life is about. Are you only happy when stuff is going well in your life? Because I don’t know anyone that everything always goes well. There’s a lot of words for the person that, when it’s not going well, they fall apart or they’re pouting.
“There’s a lot of different things that can describe a person like that, but I’m not about that and that locker room ain’t going to be about that. It’s going to be about trying to figure it out and trying to problem solve, uplifting my brother, supporting my brother, and that goes with however many games you lose.”
The Kings are still ninth in a play-in race that is getting closer by the day. They have the same record as the No. 10 Phoenix Suns and a half-game lead over the No. 11 Dallas Mavericks. The Kings hold the tiebreaker over the Suns by virtue of their 2-1 lead in the season series with what could be a huge matchup looming in the regular-season finale April 13 in Sacramento.
“We control our destiny, and that’s always a good place to be,” Christie said. “When you’re not in control of your destiny, it’s not a happy, happy place, but right now we are in control of that. If we handle what we need to handle, everything else takes care of itself.”
Keon Ellis got another start for Sacramento with Malik Monk still out due to illness. Ellis set a defensive tone in the opening minutes of what started as a low-scoring first quarter, stripping Gilgeous-Alexander twice to come up with two steals in the first 2:12. The teams combined for only 31 points over the first 8:44 with Oklahoma City leading 16-15, but the Thunder outscored the Kings 15-6 over the last 3:16.
The Kings trailed 31-21 despite forcing seven turnovers in the first period. The Thunder went up by 14 at the start of the second quarter and extended its lead to 20 on a transition dunk by Luguentz Dort with 6:58 to play in the opening half.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 24 points in the first half and carried a 64-42 advantage into the halftime break. The Thunder shot 59% from the field, went 12 of 21 (.571) from 3-point range, outrebounded the Kings 25-15 and amassed a 12-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
Murray made three 3-pointers to propel a 16-0 run early in the second half. Murray scored 16 points in the third quarter, going 5 of 6 from 3-point range to help the Kings cut the deficit to six.
Christie’s halftime message might have inspired the third-quarter surge. He told his players they will face Oklahoma City again in the playoffs, implying the Kings will get through the play-in tournament to secure the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Thunder.
“I told them right before we went on the court in the second half, I said, ‘That’s the team that you’re going to face in the playoffs, and at some point, you’re going to have to make a stand,’” Christie said.
“To our guys’ credit, they did. If you guys know me, I’m not the moral victory guy, but there is a good team in our locker room. They’re trying to find their way and they’re trying to find their rhythm, and they continue to fight, and I appreciate that. It doesn’t feel good right now, but once they get that rhythm, watch out.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
