Milwaukee cans Kidd as head coach
The Bucks fired head coach Jason Kidd on Monday amid a midseason slide that had left them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
It was a surprising end to Kidd’s tenure of three-plus seasons. The Bucks made the playoffs twice, Giannis Antetokounmpo turned into an All-Star under his watch, and the Bucks were considered an emerging force in the East at the start of the season.
The Bucks had lost four of five before beating visiting Phoenix 109-105 with former assistant coach Joe Prunty in charge Monday night. Khris Middleton scored 35 points and hit two long jumpers in the final minute, and Malcolm Brogdon added 32 points in the win, which moved Milwaukee into seventh place in the East.
The Bucks had a regularseason record of 139-152 with Kidd.
“We believe that a fresh approach and a change in leadership are needed to continue elevating our talented team toward the next level, bringing us closer to our goal of competing for championships,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said.
Kidd, a Cal alum, began his head-coaching career with Brooklyn in the 2013-14 season. The Nets went 44-38 and reached the second round of the playoffs before Kidd moved to the Bucks. Pelicans 132, Bulls 128: DeMarcus Cousins had 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists, Anthony Davis scored 34 points, and the two All-Stars led a 17-point New Orleans comeback in the final five minutes of regulation before the host Pelicans pulled out the win in double overtime. Cousins became the first NBA player since Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 to have as many as 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. Timberwolves 126, Clippers 118: Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points as Minnesota snapped a four-game road skid. Jeff Teague added 30 points, making 16 of 17 freethrow tries, to help the Wolves win for the seventh time in nine games — and second in a row without Jimmy Butler, sidelined by a sore right knee. Blake Griffin had a triple-double with 32 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists for the Clippers, but he committed two big turnovers in the closing seconds. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and assistant Mike Woodson were ejected with seven seconds left. Rockets 99, Heat 90: James Harden scored 28 and host Houston overcame a double-digit deficit. In the final minutes, Harden hit a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to start a 7-2 run that made it 95-90 with 38 seconds left. Hassan Whiteside led Miami with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Grizzlies scored 19 points 105, 76ers and Tyreke 101: Marc Evans Gasol added 18 points and eight assists to lead Memphis at home. Mario Chalmers added 17 points, including two free throws with 6.2 seconds to go to help the Grizzlies overcome a 15-point deficit. Dario Saric led Philadelphia with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Joel Embiid had 15 points and 14 boards. Mavericks 98, Wizards 75: Harrison Barnes had 20 points and 10 rebounds, rookie Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17 and host Dallas finished a season sweep of Washington. The Mavericks ended their second three-game losing streak since the start of January, holding John Wall and Bradley Beal to 28 percent shooting (8-for-29). Nuggets 104, Trail Blazers 101: Jamal Murray scored a career-high 38 , including a three-point play in the final minute for host Denver. Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Will Barton hit four free throws in the final 10 seconds to secure the win and spoil Jusuf Nurkic’s return to Denver for the first time since being traded last season. Damian Lillard had 25 points and seven assists for Portland. Hawks 104, Jazz 90: Dennis Schroder scored 20 points, Taurean Prince added 17 and host Atlanta prevailed. The Hawks began to pull away late in the third quarter, closing with a 13-3 run for a 74-63 lead that was their largest to that point. Alec Burks came off the bench to lead the Jazz with 17 points. Utah’s starters combined for just 40 points, led by Donovan Mitchell with 13. Hornets Walker added 18 had 112, and 26 Kings host points, Charlotte 107: Jeremy Kemba bounced Lamb back from a tough loss. Nic Batum and Marvin Williams each had 14 points and Dwight Howard added 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Hornets. Skai Labissiere had 23 points for Sacramento, which has lost eight in a row.