Slumping Milwaukee fires Kidd
Seeking change amid midseason struggles, the Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Jason Kidd yesterday after a slide that left a team with designs on challenging the NBA’s best in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
It was a surprising end to Kidd’s three-plus-season tenure in Milwaukee, during which the Bucks made the playoffs twice, exiting in the first round each time. 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.
But the Bucks had lost four of their last five to fall to 23-22 going into last night’s game and had been prone to defensive lapses, especially on the perimeter. Turnovers were an issue of late as well.
General manager Jon Horst, who was promoted from director of basketball operations in June, said it was time for a change. Kidd was fired hours before the Bucks beat the Suns, 109-105.
Khris Middleton scored 35 points and hit two long jumpers in the final minute, Malcolm Brogdon added 32 points for Milwaukee against visiting Phoenix.
Assistant coach Joe Prunty will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season, co-owner Wes Edens said in an interview before the game.
Under Kidd, the Bucks had a regular-season record of 139-152.
“A general manager in the NHL had a statement once: ‘If something is inevitable, why wait?’” Horst said at a news conference.
Kidd was hired a few months after a group led by Edens and Mark Lasry bought the team in April 2014. The Bucks traded two future second-draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for the then-first year coach.
Hawks 104, Jazz 90 — Dennis Schroder scored 20 points, Taurean Prince added 17 and Atlanta kept up its improving play with a victory over visiting Utah.
Hornets 112, Kings 107 —Kemba Walker had 26 points, Jeremy Lamb added 18 and host Charlotte bounced back from a tough loss to beat Sacramento.
Rockets 99, Heat 90 — James Harden had 28 points and host Houston overcame a big early deficit to top Miami, which led by double digits before halftime.
Grizzlies 105, 76ers 101 — Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Tyreke Evans added 18 points and eight assists, and the pair led a fourth-quarter rally that lifted host Memphis over Philadelphia.
Mavericks 98, Wizards 75 — Harrison Barnes had 20 points and 10 rebounds, rookie Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17 and host Dallas beat playoff-contending Washington.
Pelicans 132, Bulls 128 — DeMarcus Cousins had 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists, Anthony Davis scored 34 points, and the All-Star pair led a 17-point New Orleans comeback in the final five minutes of regulation before claiming a double-overtime victory over visiting Chicago.
Nuggets 104, Trail Blazers 101 — Jamal Murray scored a career-high 38 points, including a three-point play in the final minute, and host Denver beat Portland.
Timberwolves 126, Clippers 118 — Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points and Minnesota hung on to beat Los Angeles, snapping its four-game road skid.