Christie praises Kings’ fight, resilience despite loss at Nuggets

Christie praises Kings’ fight, resilience despite loss at Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s the fight that matters – even in a loss.

Despite trailing by 22 points at halftime, the Kings showed resilience down the stretch before falling to the Denver Nuggets 132-123 on Thursday night at Ball Arena.

The loss in the Mile High City – which came on the second night of a back-to-back for the Kings – marks only Sacramento’s third defeat in 13 games since Doug Christie took over as the interim coach on Dec. 28.

Perfect at Golden 1 Center so far, it’s the Kings’ third road loss under Christie, who is convinced there are positives to take from Sacramento’s start to the fourth quarter which got them as close as 126-121 after a series of Doug McDermott 3-pointers.

“It’s difficult sometimes because you’re on the road, you’re facing good teams,” Christie told reporters. “There are a lot of different things that go against you.”

Like the team’s camaraderie and fighting spirit.

“I love being on the road because it’s time for us to come together,” Christie added. “It’s a time to fight like this. It’s a time for us to learn about each other. It’s a time for us to find our footing in a way that, if you want to be good in this league, it’s an absolute must.

“You got to go on the road and you got to make things happen. I think games like this, moments like this, regardless of the outcome, continue to bolster their mindset of who they are and who they can be, and, to me, that’s everything.”

Domantas Sabonis finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds for Sacramento, who couldn’t contain three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.

Denver’s big man delivered an emphatic 35 points, 22 rebounds and a season-high 17 assists, joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain in the record books.

On a night when the Kings had no answers to Jokić’s dominance and faced a steep uphill battle heading into the second half, the team’s resilience and fight proved, once again, that the vibes are different under Christie.

Even when Sacramento walks off the court with a loss.

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