Kings fire Walton after 6-11 start
The Sacramento Kings fired coach Luke Walton on Sunday after getting off to a disappointing start in his third season in charge.
Walton was informed of the decision a day after a 123-105 home loss to Utah that dropped the Kings to 6-11 on the season after their seventh loss in eight games.
“We all know all of us have to be better, especially over the last two weeks,” general manager Monte McNair said. “We’re not meeting expectations. That’s not just on Luke. That’s on me, the rest of our coaches and players. Everyone acknowledges that.”
Walton had a 68-93 record in twoplus seasons as coach, failing to get Sacramento back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Associate coach Alvin Gentry takes over on an interim basis. Gentry most recently served as head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans (2015-20).
He has also had head coaching stops with Miami, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix. He has a career record of 510-595.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A person familiar with the decision says Florida fired coach Dan Mullen, a day after his sixth loss in nine games, two months after the Gators went toe to toe with defending national champion Alabama and a year after they had a chance to make the College Football Playoff.
Mullen’s stunning downfall and not-so-surprising departure ends a tumultuous two seasons that included mounting losses, numerous public relation missteps, NCAA sanctions and a victory against lower-division Samford that didn’t seem like much for Gators fans to celebrate.
GOLF
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Collin Morikawa capped off a sensational year with five birdies in his last seven holes to close with a 6-under 66 and win the DP World Tour Championship, making him the first American to capture the Race to Dubai as the European Tour’s top player.
Winning two trophies in Dubai adds to a year in which the 24-yearold Californian won the British Open and holed the clinching putt in the Ryder Cup.
His closing stretch allowed him to overhaul a fading Rory McIlroy.
NAPLES, Fla. — Facing high stakes against her toughest opponent, Jin Young Ko delivered a
performance that was close to perfect to win the richest prize in women’s golf and overtake Nelly Korda for LPGA player of the year.
Ko opened with a 25-foot birdie putt and never looked back in the CME Group Tour Championship. She shot 30 on the front nine and closed with the low round of the tournament at 9-under 63 for a one-shot victory of Nasa Hataoka of Japan.
So flawless was Ko, who has been coping with a left wrist injury since May, that she hit the final 63 greens in regulation at Tiburon Golf Club.
This victory brought big spoils, beyond the $1.5 million to the winner. The 26-year-old South Korean had to win the tournament to claim the points-based LPGA player of the year, the second time in three years Ko has won the award.
MLS
PORTLAND, Ore. — Sebastian Blanco scored the go-ahead goal and adding an insurance score and the Portland Timbers eliminated Minnesota United from the MLS playoffs with a 3-1 opening-round victory.
The fourth-seeded Timbers advanced to play the top-seeded Rapids in Colorado on Thanksgiving Day.
Larrys Mabiala also scored for Portland. Franco Fragapane opened the scoring for fifth-seeded Minnesota.
NEW YORK — Golden Boot winner Valentín Castellanos and Alexander Callens scored less than four minutes apart early in the second half and New York City FC beat Atlanta United in the first round.
Fourth-seeded NYCFC will play at Supporters Shield winner New England on Nov. 30. NYCFC has made the Eastern Conference semifinals five times in six seasons, but never advance farther.
FORMULA ONE
LOSAIL, Qatar — Lewis Hamilton inched closer to the Formula One championship lead with a dominating victory in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix to earn back-to-back wins and chip away at Max Verstappen’s points advantage.
Hamilton, who also won last week in Brazil, has trimmed 11 points from Verstappen’s lead in the title race in seven days.
Verstappen still holds an eightpoint lead with two races remaining in one of the most dramatic F1 title fights in at least a decade.
“The last two weeks have been fantastic, just amazing,” Hamilton said. “There’s no time for celebration. I don’t really have too much emotion. But it’s been amazing to be able to get so many points in these past two races.”
The seven-time champion started from pole for Mercedes and was never challenged on the Losail International Circuit as Hamilton won his 102nd career race.
It was his seventh victory of the season.
Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, around 25 seconds behind Hamilton.