Denver Nuggets fire Michael Malone before playoffs

(AFP) After a streak of four consecutive losses, the Denver Nuggets fired their head coach, Michael Malone, with just over a week to go before the start of the NBA playoffs, they announced Tuesday.

Malone guided the Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023, but despite having the superlative level of Serbian Three-time MVP award winner Nikola Jokic, they have failed to have consistent play this season.

The Nuggets have three games remaining in the NBA regular season, which concludes Sunday. They currently occupy fourth place in the Western Conference, which at the moment qualifies them for the playoffs.

"We are not pleased to announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately," Josh Kroenke, vice president of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a statement, adding that assistant coach David Adelman will assume the Nuggets' head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.

"This decision was not made lightly and was very carefully evaluated, and we do so solely with the intention of giving our group the best opportunity to compete for the 2025 NBA championship and deliver another title to Denver and our fans," Kroenke said in a statement.

"While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, given that Coach Malone helped lay the foundation for our championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level at this time," the executive added.

Since his hiring in 2015, Malone has amassed a record of 471 wins and 327 losses with the Nuggets. Along with Malone, the franchise's general manager Calvin Booth was also fired.