Kings Beat Rockets in Overtime, But Questions Linger Around Doug Christie’s Offensive Blueprint
The Sacramento Kings pulled off an emotional overtime win Sunday night against the Houston Rockets, a game that saw grit, resilience, and flashes of the offensive firepower this team clearly has. But even with that victory-and a slight bump in national power rankings-there’s a growing conversation around how head coach Doug Christie is managing his roster’s scoring talent.
Let’s start with the good news. Sacramento climbed to No. 28 in The Athletic’s latest power rankings, moving up two spots. That might not sound like much, but for a team that’s been stuck near the bottom, any upward momentum is worth noting-especially after knocking off a top-eight Western Conference opponent in Houston.
But the win also came with more questions than answers. The Kings have no shortage of shot creators.
On any given night, the scoring load might fall to Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, or even Dennis Schroder off the bench. That kind of depth is rare-yet Sacramento still ranks near the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency, with only the Indiana Pacers posting worse numbers.
That’s where the scrutiny around Christie begins.
The Kings’ head coach is juggling a roster full of proven scorers, but the offense hasn’t found its rhythm. One of the more puzzling decisions lately has been the limited use of Malik Monk.
Known for his microwave scoring ability, Monk saw less than five minutes of action in Sunday’s win. It’s not the first time his minutes have been cut short, and it’s raising eyebrows locally and nationally.
In Sunday’s game, Christie leaned on a surprising mix. With Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine both sidelined, the Kings started Russell Westbrook-on a minimum deal-over Dennis Schroder, who’s on a multi-year contract.
Schroder, to his credit, delivered in a big way. He scored 12 points across the fourth quarter and overtime, including the game-winner with just 3.1 seconds left on the clock.
That clutch performance helped mask some of the deeper issues, but it didn’t erase them.
The bigger question is structural: how does Christie balance so many players who are used to being primary options? Westbrook and DeRozan have spent years as go-to scorers.
Keegan Murray is blossoming into a reliable offensive threat. Schroder is showing flashes of his 20-points-per-game past.
Even young big Maxime Raynaud has shown he can contribute around the basket.
And yet, the Kings’ offense continues to sputter.
Four of Sacramento’s seven wins this season have come against playoff-caliber teams-Golden State, Denver, Minnesota, and Houston. That suggests the potential is there. But consistency remains elusive, and the offensive identity is still unclear.
Christie has a unique challenge on his hands. It’s not about finding scorers-he has plenty.
It’s about figuring out how to make all the pieces fit. Right now, Sacramento has the feel of a team with too many soloists and not enough harmony.
If the Kings can find a way to get everyone playing in sync, they might finally climb out of the basement.
But until then, the pressure is on Christie to answer the question that’s starting to define Sacramento’s season: with this much talent, why isn’t the offense working?