Did Kings make the right call firing Mike Brown?

The Kings have been vindicated for the unpopular firing of head coach Mike Brown — at least for now. 

On Sunday, Sacramento registered its seventh straight win to improve to 20-19, rising above .500 for the first time since Nov. 21. Under interim coach Doug Christie, the Kings have gone 7-1 after dropping six straight, including 12 of the last 17 games, under Brown's watch. 

Understandably, Christie has basked in praise since taking over the clipboard from Brown. After his team's 124-119 win in Chicago on Sunday, several Kings players praised him for putting his imprint on the team — both on and off the court.

"He's bringing a type of energy that's a little bit contagious," De'Aaron Fox said of Christie, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I mean, like I said before, he's the same guy that he was, but whenever you're at the at the front of the helm, I feel like you're probably feeling it a little more. But we've got a good thing going right now, so you want to continue to play at a high level."

Under Christie, the Kings are playing a more bruising style of basketball, as evidenced by their rebounding and interior scoring numbers. In their last seven games under Christie, the Kings rank No. 1 in the league in rebounding, second in points and third in steals, via NBA TV. During this stretch, Domantas Sabonis has averaged a whopping 17.3 rebounds while facilitating at least 40 percent of their 121.6 paint points.