Quick Hitters Kings hire Mike Brown as new coach
WNBA
Sparks 87, Fever 77 Mystics 78, Lynx 66 aces 85, Storm 74
The Sacramento Kings have agreed to hire Golden State assistant Mike Brown as their head coach.
a person familiar with the decision confirmed on Sunday that Brown will take over the franchise with the longest playoff drought in nBa history. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the hiring.
ESPn first reported that Brown would get the job. Brown previously had two stints as head coach in Cleveland where he guided the Cavaliers to the nBa Finals in 2007 and had one stint as coach of the Los angeles Lakers.
Brown is expected to remain with the Warriors for the rest of their playoff run before making the short move to Sacramento where he will be the latest former Golden State coach to take over the Kings.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive took over the franchise in 2013 after being a minority owner with the Warriors and immediately hired Michael Malone off Golden State’s staff as his first head coach.
Ranadive then hired former Warriors assistant Luke Walton has head coach in 2019 and promoted former Warriors assistant alvin Gentry to interim coach after Walton was fired last november.
none of the moves have led to success for the nBa’s worst-performing franchise of the past 16 years.
The Kings have failed to make the playoffs in each of those seasons, setting the record for the longest drought in nBa history. They went 30-52 this past season under Walton and Gentry with their .366 winning percentage their worst since the 2017-18 season. Harden, Embiid power 76ers past Heat, even series 2-2
PHILadELPHIa – James Harden scored 31 points, Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 116-108 on Sunday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Heat won the first two games in Miami with Embiid out with a right orbital fracture and mild concussion. The 76ers won Games 3 and 4 at home with Embiid and his mask in the lineup.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami.
Embiid is ready. So is Harden. and if the Heat can’t figure out those two, the next thing they face could be the offseason.
The Heat pecked away at the lead and got within five until Harden sank his fifth 3-pointer of the game with three minutes left. Harden crushed the Heat on catchand-shoot 3s and hit one clutch shot after another in the fourth.
He at last played in the postseason like the three-time scoring champion the Sixers needed when they traded for him in February.
Harden drilled a step-back 3 for a 114-103 lead that sent the crowd into a frenzy – and the Sixers off to Miami with new life.
Jimmy Butler scored 40 points and nearly one-man willed the
Heat to victory. The Heat missed 28 of 35 3-pointers.