The Golden State Warriors will face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night in San Francisco, marking the first meeting of these teams since 2016 without Mike Brown coaching. Brown, who was fired as the Kings’ head coach last month, had been with Sacramento for three seasons.
The Kings have won three out of four games since Doug Christie took over as interim coach. Before the change, the Kings had lost five games in a row under Brown, with a 110-89 record during his time as head coach.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who worked alongside Brown for six seasons, expressed his surprise at the firing, especially since Brown had been named Coach of the Year just a year and a half ago.
Kerr commented on the progress the Kings had made under Brown, saying, “When you think about where that franchise was before Mike got there, and where they’ve been the last couple years, it’s really shocking.”
In Christie’s first game as interim coach, the Kings lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, but they bounced back with wins against the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Memphis Grizzlies.
The team has relied on a balanced attack, with De’Aaron Fox scoring 33 points against Dallas, Domantas Sabonis grabbing 17 points and 21 rebounds against Philadelphia, and Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan combining for 60 points in the win over Memphis.
Despite their improved performance, the Kings are still not in a playoff spot. Monk emphasized the need for consistency, saying, “There’s no ups and downs. Can’t be too high. Can’t be too low. We’ve got to keep working, but we’re happy for sure.”
The last time the Kings met the Warriors, Sacramento won impressively in the conference 9/10 play-in game, beating Golden State 118-94. Keegan Murray led the Kings with eight 3-pointers and 32 points, helping them reach the second round of the play-ins.
The Warriors are entering the game on a two-game winning streak. They won 121-113 against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, despite resting Stephen Curry, who has been dealing with knee soreness and a sprained right thumb. Curry, along with Brandin Podziemski (abdomen) and Gary Payton II (calf), did not play.
Golden State relied on its bench, getting 16 points from Lindy Waters III. Despite missing Curry, the Warriors hit 23 three-pointers in the win. The Kings, in their own win against the Grizzlies, made 21 three-pointers.
