Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie watches against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Rocket Arena. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Kings coach benches all of his starters — and it works

By Sean Keane | Last updated Jan 24, 2026 9:26 AM ET

After three-and-a-half minutes Friday night, the Sacramento Kings were down 16-2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kings coach Doug Christie had seen enough.

In a move usually reserved for frustrated high school coaches or hockey line changes, Christie benched all five of his starters and kept them out as his reserves rallied to a 35-35 tie by the end of the quarter, even if they still fell short in a 123-118 defeat.

Domantas Sabonis' return gives Kings a strong bench

While Christie understandably lost patience with his starters, it was easier to bench all five of them with Sabonis available in reserve. The Kings have been cautious with their star center since his return one week ago from a knee injury that cost him 27 games.

Sabonis has been on a minutes restriction, but he played 31 minutes Friday night, putting up 24 points and 16 rebounds, along with six assists.

Domas with the put-back slam pic.twitter.com/YoqxUNhTGF
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 24, 2026

Malik Monk is another Kings reserve who should arguably be starting. He scored 16 points off the bench with seven assists and ended up +17 on the night. Former starting point guard Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and was +19, while unheralded rookie Dylan Cardwell had two steals and two blocks while shooting 4-for-4.

Kings could move a star out of starting lineup

In crunch time, Christie went with only one starter, playing DeMar DeRozan alongside Sabonis, Monk, Schroder and Cardwell, but Donovan Mitchell (33 points) and the Cavaliers were too much.

Sabonis will likely replace Maxime Raynaud in the starting lineup after the rookie center played just nine minutes Friday. Likewise, Keegan Murray will take over from Precious Achiuwa when his ankle heals. The question comes down to incumbent starting guards Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine.

LaVine has been a woeful defender for years. This season, his offense has also slipped, with his scoring dipping to 19.5 points per game with only 2.3 assists. The Kings would love to trade LaVine, but there may not be any interest for a declining player with a $49M player option for 2026-27.

Westbrook is having a strong comeback season averaging 15.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He's having his best three-point shooting season ever at 35.3 percent, although he's at 33.3 percent since Dec. 1. He's been a nice surprise, but why are the 12-34 Kings giving a starting slot to a 37-year-old?

Christie sent a message with the mass benching of his starters. The next step is changing his lineups for good.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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