The Denver Nuggets on Tuesday fired NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone in a shock move that comes just three games away from the start of the playoffs.
Malone led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2023, but despite the exploits of three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Denver have struggled for consistency this season and are currently on a four-game losing streak.
They are fourth in a tight Western Conference race with four teams just a half-game behind them.
Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / USA Today
“It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a statement, adding that assistant coach David Adelman would assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the campaign.
The Nuggets have three games remaining in the regular season, which concludes on Sunday.
ESPN reported that the move matches the NBA record for the latest coaching change in a season.
Photo: AFP
“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship, and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Kroenke said.
Since he was hired in 2015, Malone has amassed a 471-327 record with the Nuggets.
General manager Calvin Booth was also fired.
Malone’s stunning dismissal, and the likely unsettling effect it would have on the Denver locker room so close to the playoffs, is out of character for the Nuggets ownership group.
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment owns several sports teams in the US as well as English Premier League side Arsenal, and do not generally have a reputation as being particularly trigger-happy when it comes to the hiring and firing managers and head coaches.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 in a hard-fought battle in which Luka Doncic was controversially ejected in the fourth quarter.
Two days after suffering a 27-point defeat to the Lakers, the No.1-ranked Thunder avenged that loss thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 13th 40-point game of the season, with Jalen Williams adding 26 and Luguentz Dort 17.
The contest pivoted on the fourth quarter incident that led to the Lakers’ Slovenian star Doncic picking up a second technical foul and being tossed from the game.
Doncic was ejected following a one-handed jump shot that put the Lakers 108-107 up with 7 minutes, 40 seconds remaining after officiating crew member J.T. Orr judged he had been verbally abused by the player following the bucket.
Doncic protested, arguing he had been responding to a fan at courtside who had heckled him, but the decision stood and clearly rattled the Lakers, allowing the Thunder to seize the initiative and pull away for victory.
LeBron James, who finished with 28 points, was at a loss to explain Doncic’s ejection.
“I don’t know why the ref was taking it personal,” James told reporters. “The ref took it upon himself to think it was versus him. The game was just weird as hell after that.”
Doncic insisted he had not been trash-talking Orr.
“It was nothing to do with the ref, so I didn’t really understand it,” Doncic said. “It was tough, but you know that’s on me, too. I can’t let my team down like that.”
The Lakers remain in third place with a 48-31 record and need to win two of their remaining three regular-season fixtures to lock in third seeding in the Western Conference.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the No. 1 seeding in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising past the Chicago Bulls 135-113, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a potentially costly 110-103 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies boosted their chances of playoff qualification with a 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from post-season contention after suffering a 133-95 blowout to the Golden State Warriors, while the Los Angeles Clippers climbed into the playoff positions with a 122-117 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Washington Wizards 104-98, the Orlando Magic outplayed the Atlanta Hawks 119-112, the Brooklyn Nets overpowered the New Orleans Pelicans 119-114 and the Boston Celtics survived the New York Knicks 119-117 in overtime.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS