The Sacramento Kings are riding a six-game losing streak, and their latest stumble-a fourth-quarter collapse against the Knicks-felt like a self-inflicted wound. Tied 72-72 heading into the final frame, Sacramento had every opportunity to pull out a win at Madison Square Garden. But when it came time to close, interim head coach Doug Christie leaned on experience over execution-and it cost the Kings dearly.
Let’s set the stage. Through three quarters, the Kings had done a respectable job containing Jalen Brunson, keeping him from finding a rhythm.
The defense wasn’t perfect, but it was engaged, active, and-most importantly-connected. Then came the fourth quarter, and with it, a dramatic unraveling.
The Knicks outscored Sacramento 31-15 in the final 12 minutes, with Brunson torching the Kings for 11 quick points that turned a tight contest into a runaway.
So what changed? Quite simply, the lineup.
Christie opted to close the game with a veteran-heavy group featuring DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, and Domantas Sabonis. On paper, that’s a trio with pedigree.
In practice, it was a group that couldn’t get stops-and didn’t seem to be on the same page defensively. The energy and cohesion that had helped the Kings stay competitive vanished when the younger legs hit the bench.
The defensive drop-off was stark. Dylan Cardwell, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud had been giving the Kings solid minutes-defending with intensity, rotating well, and doing the little things that don’t always show up in the box score.
They weren’t just playing hard; they were playing together. And when that trio, along with Precious Achiuwa, was pulled in favor of the vets, Sacramento’s defensive structure crumbled.
Brunson recognized the shift immediately. With the Kings’ perimeter defense suddenly porous, he attacked relentlessly-getting to his spots, drawing help, and creating easy looks for himself and his teammates. The Kings had no answer, and the game slipped away.
This isn’t a one-off issue. Since Sabonis returned, Christie has shown a consistent preference for veteran lineups in crunch time.
But those lineups haven’t delivered. The Kings are now 12-36, and the pattern is becoming hard to ignore.
Christie talks about prioritizing defense, yet when the game hangs in the balance, he’s turning to lineups that simply don’t defend at a high level.
It’s not that DeRozan, Westbrook, or Sabonis lack value. Each brings something to the table.
But as a unit, they haven’t meshed defensively. And in today’s NBA, especially against a guard like Brunson who thrives on exploiting mismatches, cohesion on that end of the floor is non-negotiable.
You look at the rotations from this game, and it’s clear where the disconnect lies. The young guys-Cardwell, Clifford, Raynaud-may not have the same name recognition, but they’ve shown they can defend.
They communicate, they switch, they compete. Clifford, in particular, offers a nice blend of scoring and on-ball defense that could’ve helped balance the floor in the fourth quarter.
Instead, Christie went with the vets, and the result was another missed opportunity in a season full of them.
If the Kings want to shift the trajectory of this season, they’ll need more than just talent-they’ll need trust in the players who are giving them the most on both ends of the court. Right now, that trust seems misplaced. And until that changes, Sacramento’s struggles are likely to continue.