Winning at home has been a big point of emphasis since Christie took over as interim coach of the Kings when Mike Brown was fired in December. The Kings did it again in a Thursday night thriller, beating the Houston Rockets 132-127 before a sellout crowd of 18,227 at Golden 1 Center and a national television audience on TNT.

Kings interim head coach Doug Christie speaks to reporters following the Sacramento Kings’ 132-127 win over the Houston Rockets on January 16, 2025, at Golden 1 Center.Christie proud of how Kings clos

Kings interim head coach Doug Christie discusses Thursday's 132-127 win over the Rockets, the way Sacramento closed out for a second win over second place Houston, the clutch free throw shooting by his team to go 20-of-22 in the victory,

Many are surprised at how Doug Christie has turned things around in Sacramento without making any changes except the one that got him at the helm of the Kings' bench. Christie replaced 2023 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown right before the end of 2024 after the Kings were off to a poor start.