Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie watches during a game at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday in Sacramento. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Kings’ third-straight double-digit loss Tuesday at home, against the Denver Nuggets, could lead to a change in the starting lineup.
“We’re considering everything,” Christie said after the Kings’ 122-108 loss, in which the starters struggled and the offense stalled out in the fourth quarter.
Specifically, Christie was asked about making a change at point guard. Offseason addition Dennis Schroder finished the game scoreless while missing his only three shots. And in Sacramento’s past three losses to Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Denver, he shot 1-of-19 combined with 5 total points in three games.
“This is about us playing at a high level,” Christie continued. “Twenty-four minutes, maybe 30. It’s not enough. We need a 48-minute effort to win in this league, especially to a team like that.”
The Kings dropped to 3-8 and haven’t been good on either side of the court throughout the season. They came into Tuesday’s game ranked 24th in offensive efficiency while lineups including Schroder, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have an offensive rating of 104.3, combined with a rough defensive rating of 128.7 for a net rating of minus-24.4.
The Kings in the fourth quarter on Tuesday shot just 38% from the floor, while Denver outscored them 37-26 in the frame. Schroder was subbed out three minutes in the frame for Russell Westbrook to close.
Westbrook could conceivably offer Christie an option to replace Schroder, who has started every game this season while shooting just 38% from the floor and 28% from 3. He’s averaging 11.5 points per game and has admitted to not feeling comfortable with his new team after signing a three-year, $44.4 million contract in the offseason..
Christie was asked about the offensive struggles with his starters, most of whom have been strong offensive players throughout their careers.
“Offense? Ain’t nobody talking about offense,” Christie said. “Tonight was only 108, but on most nights we’re scoring enough points. It ain’t about the offense. There’s a lot of people that can score the basketball. If we want to win, we need to focus on the defense, period. Offense — make some shots. You make and miss shots. I get that. There’s timing and different things. But I don’t want to hear about no offense.”
Christie isn’t wrong to point out Sacramento’s deficiencies on defense. They’ve allowed centers to run roughshod against them during their three-losing streak while being one of the most porous defenses in the NBA.
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic scored 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting. Rudy Gobert for the Timberwolves made 9 of 10 shots for 19 points on Sunday, almost doubling his season average of 10.9. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein scored a career-high 33 points on 14-of-17 from the field while dealing the Kings a 31-point loss on Friday.
But it’s odd for a head coach to dismiss the idea of his starters struggling to gel when the offense would rank as one of the worst in the league despite having a future Hall of Famer in DeRozan; former multi-time All-Stars in Sabonis and LaVine; and Schroder, who was billed as a missing piece in the offseason after winning the MVP of Eurobasket while leading Germany to the championship over the summer.
“We look good at times, and then we look terrible at times,” LaVine said after scoring 12 points on Tuesday. “I think that’s been one of our biggest points, that we’re trying to figure out our flow with everybody. I think everybody has tried to take a step back (from) who they are as well for the greater good of the team.
“That’s good for everybody to do, but then eventually we got to figure out what’s going to work and what’s going to roll for us. So I think that’s the frustrating part.”
Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after he fouls out against Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (not pictured) during a game at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday in Sacramento. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
The Kings have been playing without forward Keegan Murray, an expected starter who could create spacing with his 3-point shooting. He was tabbed to get re-evaluated in four to six weeks in early October after having thumb surgery, meaning an update could be coming shortly. In the meantime, the Kings will have to figure things out without him.
“Every game, it looks different,” Sabonis said. “Every other night, depending on who we’re playing, we run different things depending on who we play. I wish I could have more answers.”
The Kings are back on the floor Wednesday for the second night of a back-to-back where they’ll host the Atlanta Hawks. Then they have another gauntlet of a road trip against Minnesota on Friday, at San Antonio on Sunday, back-to-back games against Oklahoma City and Memphis, and finishing the road trip with another game against Jokic in Denver.