Chris Finch has been announced as the new Minnesota Timberwolves head coach.
The 51-year-old, who was serving as Nick Nurse's assistant at the Toronto Raptors, has more than 24 years of NBA and G League experience.
Minnesota dismissed Ryan Saunders on Sunday after a loss to the New York Knicks saw the Western Conference's bottom-placed team slip to a 7-24 record, following only one win in their past nine games.
With a reputation as one of the most innovative minds in the game, Finch has previously worked with stars including Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, James Harden, Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson and Kyle Lowry.
After making his name in Europe and the D-League, the Ohio native was given his NBA break as an assistant in 2011 by the Houston Rockets, where he served for five years, before moving on to an associate head coach role alongside Mike Malone with the Denver Nuggets.
After one season in Colorado in 2016-17, Finch spent three years as the New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach with Alvin Gentry, before reuniting with Nurse in Toronto. Nurse was Finch's assistant with the Great Britain national team between 2009 and 2012.
"Chris brings a wealth of basketball experience from his time in the NBA, G League and Internationally," said Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.
"He is one of the most creative basketball minds in the NBA, has success maximising players, and I am excited to see him bring our team to the next level and beyond."
The races for the top seeds in each conference in the NBA are getting more interesting.
It was a fascinating seven days of action in the NBA, which saw the Brooklyn Nets surge even with Kevin Durant on the sidelines.
They are on a six-game win streak and trail the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers by only half a game.
However, the Sixers can be encouraged by the form of their top two stars, who each enjoyed extremely productive weeks.
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a two-game losing streak and are two and a half games back of the Utah Jazz in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.
They will be out to get back to their best this week, and an improvement in three-point shooting from the MVP frontrunner would be beneficial to them doing that.
Here we take a look at some of the best and worst performers across the past week, aided by Stats Perform data.
RUNNING HOT...
Ben Simmons
Simmons missed two games last week due to stomach flu but he was excellent in the pair of games in which he did feature for the Sixers.
He dropped 42 points in the loss to the Utah Jazz and, after a brief spell on the sidelines, was back with 28 in the defeat to the Toronto Raptors.
His points per game average for the week ballooned to 35, Simmons having entered the week putting up 14.13. Philadelphia will need more of the same the rest of the way if the Sixers are to clinch top spot in the East.
Jamal Murray
The Nuggets are in the thick of a crowded playoff race in the Western Conference, and their hopes of reaching the postseason will be boosted if Murray can maintain his form of the past week.
Having come into the week scoring 18.54 points per game, he averaged 35 last week, with that number inflated by a stunning 50-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which saw him shoot 84 per cent from the field and go eight of 10 from three-point range.
He went from putting up just over two triples per game to averaging five and, with a game against a Portland Trail Blazers team two and a half games ahead of them in the standings next up, Murray's success from deep will be pivotal.
Joel Embiid
Arguably the closest challenger to LeBron James for the league MVP award this season, Embiid was a monster on the boards for the Sixers this week.
His 50-point game in the win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday was also the first of two successive outings with 17 rebounds.
Embiid's rebounds per game average jumped from 10.77 entering the week to 15 over the past seven days.
He will need to continue making that kind of all-round impact in scoring and rebounding if Embiid is to have any hope of denying LeBron the MVP.
GOING COLD...
Derrick Rose
Rose's second week as a New York Knick did not go to plan.
The 2011 MVP had come into the week registering 14.28 points per game, but that dropped to just 5.33 over the course of the last three games.
He endured a dismal week from the field, hitting just five of his 27 shots. Having gotten him out of a bad situation in Detroit, the Knicks will want a lot more from Rose in the coming weeks as they look to cement their grasp on a playoff spot.
Nikola Jokic
While Murray has been outstanding for the Nuggets, their MVP candidate had a down week in one key area of his game.
Denver lost three of their four games last week, and the Nuggets will look for improved play on the boards from Jokic as they target a reversal in fortunes.
Jokic had been recording 11.5 rebounds per game but that dipped to 8.75 over his past four outings, failing to put up double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.
He was back in double figures in each of Denver's last two games, and Jokic will aim to carry that momentum into this week and a key matchup with Portland.
LeBron James
This season has seen LeBron hit threes at his highest rate since joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
He has converted on 36.2 per cent of his attempts from beyond the arc but he suffered a decline from deep last week.
Having entered the week hitting 2.57 threes a game, he averaged just one over the course of the Lakers' last three matchups.
James has not made more than one three in a game since the second meeting in a back-to-back with the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 10.
With LeBron, though, drop-offs are only ever temporary. The MVP frontrunner should resume normal service from three-point range sooner rather than later.
Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his impressive combination with Khris Middleton after the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
The Bucks improved to 18-13 for the season with a 128-115 victory in front of a limited crowd at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo and Middleton combined for 70 points, 26 rebounds, 10 assists and 22 free throws made. It was the first time a pair of team-mates posted such collective numbers in a single game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the Chicago Bulls on March 28, 1990.
"It felt good. We were making the right play, we were being aggressive, finding team-mates," said Antetokounmpo.
"We've done this for eight years. We can't do it every night, but there's always going to be some glimpses, there's always going to be some nights where we're both going to feel good, both going to make the right plays, and this night was one of those nights.
"It was good to go out there and lead our team to victory.
"He was being aggressive, getting to his spots, making the right play. We need that from Kris. You could tell from the beginning of the game that he felt good.
"I know when he's feeling good, and that's the time to get the hell out of the way. It's good to play with somebody you've played with for a long time. We've done this since day one. Hopefully we can win more games and keep this going."
Antetokounmpo led the scoring with 38 points, finding the target with 19 of 24 attempts from the free-throw line – an impressive run he does not now want to jinx.
"I don't want to talk about; I don't want to jinx it! I'll just keep working hard, keep trusting my technique. I got all the calls I deserved to get, so that's why I shot 24," he said.
"I feel good right now, I keep trusting my work and hopefully, next game, I can make some more."
The back-to-back MVP was also thrilled to perform in front of fans once again, adding: "It feels amazing. I don't know how many people were out there today, but it feels amazing.
"You could feel the crowd from beginning to end. When we feel the fans out there, I promise you, we're a different team. Hopefully, game by game, more fans can get out there to support us."
The high-flying Brooklyn Nets made it six straight wins in the NBA with a 112-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brooklyn were missing star Kevin Durant (hamstring) once again, but James Harden (37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists) and Kyrie Irving (28 points and eight assists) stepped up in his absence.
The Nets held a 10-point lead at the final break but roared on by billionaire owner Steve Ballmer in the front row, the Clippers pushed hard in the last.
With the Nets leading 110-108 with 10 seconds to play, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard (29 points and 13 rebounds) was called for a tough offensive foul on former MVP Harden, spurning their final chance at victory.
The Nets have beaten all five Pacific Division teams on the road over their last 5 games. According to Stats Perform, Brooklyn are the first NBA team to beat an entire division on the road in consecutive games since the Milwaukee Bucks did so against the Pacific Division over their last five games of the 1972-73 season.
Brooklyn wrapped up a 5-0 road trip – their longest undefeated single trip in franchise history.
The Nets improved to 20-12 in the Eastern Conference – a half-game adrift of leaders the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Clippers slipped to 22-10.
Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and now Manchester United are all reportedly chasing Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Days out from his 22nd birthday, Donnarumma has reportedly closed a deal with the Red Devils.
Is David de Gea's future in doubt?
TOP STORY – RED DEVILS SWOOP FOR RECORD-BREAKER
Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has agreed to a provisional deal with Manchester United, according to Todo Fichajes.
The report claims the deal would make the Italy star the best paid goalkeeper ever in world football.
United have had goalkeeping issues this season, with number one keeper David de Gea making a number of errors, while understudy Dean Henderson has made a handful of appearances.
Donnarumma, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Thursday, became the youngest player in Serie A history to reach 200 appearances in Sunday's 3-0 derby defeat to leaders Inter.
The 21-year-old's current deal with the Rossoneri expires at the end of this season and he has been linked with a host of clubs including Serie A champions Juventus, Champions League holders Bayern Munich and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
LeBron James believes he needs to adjust in the absence of Anthony Davis because his Los Angeles Lakers team-mates are already doing "their part and more".
The Lakers have gone 2-1 since Davis sustained a calf injury in the defeat to the Denver Nuggets last weekend, going down 96-94 to the Miami Heat on Saturday after a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The reigning NBA champions sit third in the Western Conference but will be without Davis for the next four weeks.
James had 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against the Heat, while a steal on an inbounds pass for Jimmy Butler gave Alex Caruso a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but the Lakers guard missed.
By scoring at least 15 points with a minimum of five rebounds and five assists for a 31st straight game, James broke the previous NBA record of 30 in succession that he set in 2018.
However, he insisted it is on him to adapt and help get the Lakers back on track ahead of a tough stretch without Davis, who leads the Lakers in rebounds, steals and blocks.
"I think that's what it all boils down to and right now is another challenge for me, to be able to adjust," James said.
"Not having AD for a long period of time is something that we haven't had over the last year and a half, and now it's time for me to adjust again and see ways I can be even more effective to help this team win ballgames, because that is the sport that we're in.
"We're in the winning business and I've always been a winner. So, it's time to click into that."
On his team-mates, he added: "They are doing their part. They're doing their part and more. Every time we're on the floor we're trying to protect each other and bring each other up on the floor every single night.
"It doesn't matter if you're making shots or not, we're gonna hold each other accountable. Everybody's picking up in AD's absence and obviously it hasn't been in wins the last two games but we're gonna continue working our habits and continue to be great for one another."
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc and called on his fellow role players at the Lakers to provide James with greater support.
"I feel like the last couple games that's been happening, putting a lot on Bron. We already know what we're going to get out of him. So, all the rest of us, we've got to continue to just play hard and just play basketball and not worry about anything else," said Caldwell-Pope.
"We try to help him out as much as possible and we want to do it as perfect as possible, as we can.
"We try to help him out, we try not to make too much mistakes when we're on the floor with him or even running a play with him, just to give him some help. We do ask Bron for a lot, he gives us a lot each and every game.
"It's up to us as far as like role players and 'next man up' mentality, we've got to be ready and locked in."
The Miami Heat edged NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94 on Saturday.
In a rematch of last season's NBA Finals, which LeBron James and the Lakers won, the Heat came out on top in Los Angeles.
The Heat led by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter before the Lakers rallied, but Miami held on at Staples Center.
Kendrick Nunn (27 points) and Jimmy Butler (24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals) fuelled the Heat on the road.
James led the slumping Lakers – who have lost back-to-back games – with a team-high 23 points.
CP3 surpasses Robertson as Suns set franchise record
It was a memorable day for Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns, who routed the Memphis Grizzlies 128-97. Paul passed Oscar Robertson for sixth place on the all-time assists list. Robertson had 9,887 assists. The Suns, meanwhile, nailed a franchise-record 24 three-pointers.
Zach LaVine's 38 points inspired the Chicago Bulls to a 122-114 victory over the Sacramento Kings. LaVine made 15 of 20 shots in his fourth consecutive game with 30 or more points.
Russell Westbrook (27 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds) and Bradley Beal (37 points) teamed up to guide the Washington Wizards to an 118-111 victory at the Portland Trail Blazers, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. Damian Lillard's 35 points and 12 rebounds were not enough for the Blazers.
Caruso scoreless
Alex Caruso dished off four assists, but it was a tough night for the Lakers shooting guard in a scoreless outing. He was 0-of-three from the field, missing both of his three-point attempts.
The less said about the Grizzlies' performance from beyond the arc, the better. Memphis were just five-of-33 from three-point range – shooting at 15.2 per cent in a crushing defeat at home to the Suns.
Rozier calls game!
Terry Rozier nailed a jumper as time expired to lift the Charlotte Hornets past the Golden State Warriors 102-100. Rozier finished with 36 points. Golden State lost Stephen Curry (illness) moments before tip-off.
Saturday's results
Charlotte Hornets 102-100 Golden State Warriors
Miami Heat 96-94 Los Angeles Lakers
Chicago Bulls 122-114 Sacramento Kings
Phoenix Suns 128-97 Memphis Grizzlies
Washington Wizards 118-111 Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs-New York Knicks (postponed)
Houston Rockets-Indiana Pacers (postponed)
Nets at Clippers
It will be a blockbuster battle on Sunday when the Brooklyn Nets (19-12) visit the Los Angeles Clippers (22-9). The Nets will be without Kevin Durant (hamstring) for a fourth consecutive game. Both teams are second in their respective conferences.
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