The Sacrament0 Kings suffered another tough loss as Doug Christie and his squad fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 132-104, in a game that quickly slipped away. This Kings season continues to spiral, and Victor Wembanyama’s presence only made the gap more obvious. During the game, cameras caught Christie on the bench ripping smelling salts and shaking them toward associate coach Mike Woodson. The moment felt desperate. It also felt symbolic of a team searching for answers that still have not come.
Doug Christie and Mike Woodson on the Kings bench 😭😭
Tanking really do be impacting teams
(h/t @Brewin07) pic.twitter.com/SXRPIAYKCW
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) March 18, 2026
The Kings never settled in. The Spurs controlled the tempo early and never looked back. Wembanyama dictated everything. He scored with confidence, altered shots, and made the game look simple. In contrast, the Kings looked stuck. Their offense stalled. Their defense broke down. Each Spurs run felt heavier than the last. The energy never shifted.
At 18-52, the numbers tell part of the story. A 5-5 record in the last 10 games offers little comfort. Because when the lights get brighter, the same issues return. The same patterns repeat. And the Kings season’s struggles do not seem to end.
Frustration grows as Kings search for direction
Doug Christie’s smelling salts moment quickly made the rounds online. Fans reacted fast. Some laughed. Others saw a coach trying anything to spark life into his team. Either way, it captured the mood surrounding this group.
On the court, the numbers told the same story. Nearly every Kings player finished with a negative plus-minus, a clear sign of how one-sided the game became. Only one player managed to stay in the positive. That gap reflected the overall performance. Defensive lapses piled up. Offensive rhythm disappeared under pressure. Against a confident Spurs team, those flaws were exposed again. Victor Wembanyama took control, and the Kings had no response.
Time is still on the clock. But urgency keeps rising. This team needs a shift. It needs identity. It needs belief. Otherwise, moments like this will continue to define everything. So now the question remains: how much more can this Kings season take before something finally changes?
