NBA Rumors: Doug Christie Called Out Issues in Meeting with Kings' Starting Lineup

Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie was unhappy with the effort of his starting unit in Friday's 132-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Christie called for a meeting with his starters after the game in which he discussed issues ranging from ball security to making sure everyone is on the same page and challenged them to "challenge each other in a positive way" to yield more positive results.

After a strong start when Christie initially took over for Mike Brown, the Kings have hit a rough patch. They have lost eight of their last 13 games after going 10-2 in Christie's first 12 games.

This stretch includes back-to-back losses in which the defense has allowed a total of 272 points. The New Orleans Pelicans scored a season-high 140 points on Feb. 13.

Friday's loss saw the Kings allow Golden State to shoot 53.8 percent from the field (46.5 percent from three). The Warriors also forced 24 turnovers, with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis combining for nine.

The Kings are still in an adjustment period after remaking their roster prior to the trade deadline. They sent De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, while bringing in LaVine to be one of their main offensive engines.

It's been a slow start for LaVine in his new home. He's averaging 20.3 points per game in seven starts, but his shooting percentage is down more than eight points overall (51.1 to 43.0) and three-point percentage has declined more than 18 points (44.6 to 26.4) from where he was at with the Chicago Bulls.

The Kings are clinging to the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with a 28-28 record. They have a 1.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns (26-29) for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Sacramento is coming up on an easier part of its schedule with games against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday and Utah Jazz on Wednesday to try righting the ship.