Maligned coach Rivers returning to Philadelphia

The Lakers’ search for a head coach will have to go on. The 76ers are sticking with Doc Rivers.

In a press conference Friday — following the Sixers’ elimination by the Heat on Thursday night in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series — Daryl Morey, Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations, said Rivers will return as head coach next season. He has three years remaining on his contract.

The news came after multiple reports this week that the Lakers were monitoring the Sixers’ situation closely and were interested in Rivers as a candidate for their vacancy.

“I don’t worry about my job,” Rivers said Thursday. “I think I do a terrific job and if you don’t then you should write it. I work my butt off to get this team here.”

Before the Sixers’ collapse against the Heat, Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote earlier this week he believed the Lakers want to “bring back Doc,” who was head coach of their Los Angeles neighbors, the Clippers, from 2014-20.

That came after The Times published Plaschke’s long interview with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who expressed her frustration with the state of the team — which parted ways with former head coach Frank Vogel in April after the Lakers failed to make the playoffs.

After Philadelphia’s 99-90 Game 6 loss, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up!” that the Lakers were “watching developments closely” in Philadelphia because they will “definitely have interest” if Rivers were fired by the Sixers.

The Lakers have already interviewed or requested interviews with at least six candidates, including Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (the former Nets head coach), Mark Jackson, Terry Stotts, Adrian Griffin and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee.

Rivers’ postgame comments Thursday were quite glaring to some fans, who essentially believed he gave up on his team in the elimination game.

“I came to the conclusion at the end of this game that we were not good enough to beat Miami,” said Rivers, who pulled his starters late in the game.