NBA clears Kings, says coach made mistake vs. Warriors

Field Level Media|published: Thu 9th April, 15:48 2026

Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie yells during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The NBA announced Thursday that Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie made an honest mistake in his team's loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The league was investigating Christie after he instructed forward Doug McDermott to intentionally foul Warriors guard Seth Curry with his team leading by one with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game.

"The league's investigation determined that Christie mistakenly believed that the Warriors were not in the penalty and therefore instructed his team to foul in an attempt to stop the clock and utilize one of the team's remaining timeouts," the NBA's statement said. "The investigation found that Christie made no intentional effort to give the Warriors a shooting foul, or to cause the Kings to lose the game."

Curry made one of two free throws to tie the game at 101-101. The Kings (21-59) went on to lose the game, 110-105.

--Field Level Media

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