The NBA has opened an inquiry into a fourth-quarter play during the Sacramento Kings’ 104-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, league sources told ESPN. With 3:15 remaining and Sacramento holding a one-point lead, head coach Doug Christie ordered an intentional off-ball foul on guard Seth Curry—even though the Kings were already in the bonus. The decision sent the career 86.4 percent free-throw shooter to the line for two shots.
Warriors forward Draymond Green called the tactic “obvious tanking” in postgame comments, but team insiders told ESPN’s Anthony Slater the move was a coaching error. According to those sources, Christie misread the foul situation and was seeking a stoppage to secure a timeout that would disappear once the clock dipped under three minutes.
Curry hit only one of the two attempts, and Sacramento briefly reclaimed the lead on a Doug McDermott three-pointer on the next possession. The Kings have gone 7-8 over their past 15 games, and Christie has publicly rejected the idea of tanking.
Lottery outlook tightens
Sacramento’s recent surge has altered its draft position. One month ago the club owned the league’s worst record; it now sits in a tie with the Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst mark, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reported. If the season ends in that slot, the Kings’ odds of landing a top-four selection would drop slightly, and the franchise could fall as low as No. 8 or No. 9 in a downside lottery scenario. By contrast, the NBA’s last-place team cannot pick lower than fifth.
DeRozan climbs scoring list
Veteran wing DeMar DeRozan passed Oscar Robertson for 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring chart Sunday, logging his 26,711th career point. DeRozan missed Tuesday’s game with hamstring soreness. His next target, Hakeem Olajuwon at 26,946 points, will remain out of reach until next season.
Offseason priorities
Keith Smith of Spotrac outlined Sacramento’s summer agenda, emphasizing salary reduction and a potential full rebuild. Smith identified DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and De’Andre Hunter as likely trade chips. Zach LaVine is also a candidate, though his expected decision to exercise a $49 million player option could complicate any deal.
The Kings have six regular-season games remaining before turning their attention fully to roster decisions.
Source: Hoops Rumors
