Suns fire Vogel, eye Budenholzer
The Suns fired coach Frank Vogel after one disappointing season that started with championship expectations but ended with a first-round exit by way of a sweep.
ESPN reported that former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is the Suns’ target to replace Vogel and talks are expected to move quickly.
Vogel was hired last summer to lead the Suns’ All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but the group was never quite able to mesh. Beal was hurt for much of the first half of the season, which didn’t help, but even when he returned, the Suns were plagued by turnovers and a thin bench.
The Suns will now have a third different coach in three seasons.
♦ Celtics lead assistant coach Charles Lee agreed to a four-year contract to become the coach of the Hornets. The 39-year-old Lee, who has become one of the league’s most accomplished assistant coaches, spent five seasons under Mike Budenholzer before joining the Celtics last summer.
♦ Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 29 points, and the Cavaliers beat the top-seeded Celtics 118-94 to tie their second-round playoff series at one game apiece. Two nights after losing by 25, the Cavaliers seized the lead in the third quarter and answered with a blowout of their own.
♦ Luka Doncic and P.J. Washington each had 29 points, and the Mavericks beat the Thunder 119-110 to even the second-round series at one game apiece.
♦ Bucks guard Patrick Beverley was suspended by the NBA for four games without pay for throwing a basketball multiple times at fans and for an “inappropriate interaction” with ESPN producer Malinda Adams after the season-ending loss to the Pacers in Game 6 of the first-round series.
♦ Former Celtics player Glen “Big Baby” Davis was sentenced to 40 months in a federal prison for his participation in a scheme that defrauded an insurance plan for NBA players and their families of more than $5 million.