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The Denver Nuggets have fired Michael Malone and elevated David Adelman as interim head coach. Malone is the winningest head coach in Nuggets’ history and helped guide the team to the NBA championship in 2023.

Denver has lost four consecutive games beginning with a 140-139 double overtime loss last Tuesday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In September, Zach Lowe reported there were “rumblings” that the front office and Malone weren’t “exactly seeing eye to eye.”

Before the Nuggets went on to win the title in 2023, Lowe also reported that Malone’s job could be in danger if they had a disappointing playoffs. Malone signed a contract extension in November 2023 that made him one of the NBA’s highest paid coaches.

Adelman has been an assistant coach with the Nuggets since 2017.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a team statement. “And was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere.

“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”