The Sacramento Kings suffered a devastating loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, getting taken down 128-116 on their home court. After hitting 11 three-pointers and scoring 39 points in the first quarter, the Kings cooled down and made just four shots from deep the rest of the game.
The Kings looked out of sorts on Thursday after their hot start, especially in the fourth quarter. The Bulls outscored the Kings 36-27 in the final period, and Chicago guard Coby White seemed unstoppable.
White finished the game with 35 points on 10-18 shooting, one-upping Malik Monk’s 34-point outing and helping steal the win.
Mar 20, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) and forward Keegan Murray (13) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Following the crushing loss, Kings interim head coach Doug Christie had a blunt one-word reaction to how his team played on Thursday night.
“Unacceptable,” Christie said.
Doug Christie on the frustrating loss to Chicago, what went wrong and Zach LaVine having another quiet game: pic.twitter.com/tbGb9er8vh
https://twitter.com/James_HamNBA/status/1902953403208306910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1902953403208306910%7Ctwgr%5Efb88aa681fe41a535ce3f8aa53ddcb1e3b76e990%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fkings%2Fsacramento-kings-news%2Fdoug-christie-s-blunt-one-word-statement-after-kings-vs-bulls-01jpvjcmfxjg
While Christie could have kept his feelings to that one word, he went on to express his disappointment with his team.
“There’s a lot there that’s unacceptable,” Christie continued. “You can’t just let people come into your house and do what they want… super, super disappointed. And I told them this one should hurt. It should hurt if you care about it.”
Mar 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie complains about a refereeís call during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Christie criticized his team’s lack of energy, and while every team has nights where energy is a problem, this seems to be a reoccurring issue for the Kings. The Bulls went into Thursday’s game with a 29-40 record, but marched into Sacramento and manhandled the Kings even with their best player, Josh Giddey, sidelined.
The Kings now head into a three-game stretch where they have to face the Bucks, Celtics, and Thunder, which may completely destroy their season if they are not careful. Christie continues to send clear messages to his team, but they have yet to fully respond.
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