Kings guard Malik Monk was listed as a starter and then announced as part of the starting lineup during pregame introductions Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
When the starters took the floor for tipoff, it was not Monk but Keon Ellis who stepped onto the court with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis.
Interim Kings coach Doug Christie made a move many fans have clamored for all season, starting Ellis not as an injury replacement but as a player who gave his team the best chance to win in a must-win situation.
Ellis posted 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, a career-high six steals and one blocked shot to help the Kings snap a four-game losing streak with a 128-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Monk did his part, too. He returned after missing the past three games due to illness, coming off the bench to score 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
“Keon has stepped in when Malik went down, and he has played fantastic,” Christie said. “The points don’t indicate what he does for the ballclub, and Malik in a sixth-man role is spectacular because he can come in and be aggressive and do what I want him to do.”
LaVine scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting for the Kings (36-37), who had lost eight of their last 10 games.
Sabonis had 22 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. DeRozan had 21 points and 10 assists. Keegan Murray added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Devin Avdija had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers (32-42). Shaedon Sharpe scored 22 points. Anfernee Simons had 20.
The Kings maintained their hold on the ninth spot in the Western Conference in an intense three-team battle for the last two play-in spots. They are a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns with nine games remaining.
LaVine credited the win to the team’s effort at both ends of the floor. The Kings shot 64.9% from the field while holding Portland to 39.8%.
“I think it’s a do or die situation,” LaVine said. “If we’re not going to play with that effort, it might not fall our way, so at least playing that hard we’re giving ourselves your best shot to go out there and compete at the highest level and play our best. I think you attribute that to where you’re wanting it more, so now these last nine we’re going to have to play that same way.”
Christie said the confusion over the starting lineup stemmed from a mix up at the scorer’s table. He joked that he might have revealed his plan to start Ellis during his pregame news conference if anyone had asked, something he normally doesn’t do.
Monk admitted he was tired after recovering from a difficult illness. He said it was “great to be back” and “terrible” to be out while his team was losing. Monk said he had no objection to Christie’s decision to start Ellis.
“S---, we at the point right now where if you mix something up, I can’t be mad about my minutes,” Monk said. “If Keon comes out and I start again, it might switch every game, but I can’t be mad about it. We’re in a f---ing desperate spot right now. Must win, so I’m here.”
Christie praised Monk’s leadership and his willingness to accept any role necessary to help his team win.
“Malik is OK with whatever,” Christie said. “He is the consummate professional, and these guys understand winning over everything. It’s something we will look at as we go, but for somebody who’s been out as long as he has with a sickness, and to be 6 for 9, 2 for 3 ... he was fantastic. He played a really, really solid game, and you can see how much we missed Malik and what he brings to the ball club.”
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Jason Anderson is The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer. He is a Sacramento native and a graduate of Fresno State, where he studied journalism and college basketball under the late Jerry Tarkanian.