Associated Press 2-5 Kings fire coach Westphal ADVERTISING SACRAMENTO, Calif. — If the Sacramento Kings stood any chance at success this season, Paul Westphal had to find a way to control talented but volatile center DeMarcus Cousins. He couldn’t —
Associated Press
2-5 Kings fire coach Westphal
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — If the Sacramento Kings stood any chance at success this season, Paul Westphal had to find a way to control talented but volatile center DeMarcus Cousins.
He couldn’t — and lost his job because of it.
The Kings fired Westphal Thursday after two-plus seasons as coach, cutting ties amid a slow start and an escalating dispute with Cousins that threatened to consume the locker room. Assistant Keith Smart, let go by the Golden State Warriors in April after one season at the helm, signed a deal to become the team’s new head coach.
With the Cousins-Westphal spat showing no resolution, Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof finally decided to take action. Instead of trading away a promising young big man, they made Westphal the first firing of the lockout-shortened season.
Looking to build momentum for a new arena project, Sacramento stumbled at the start.
A talented and athletic — albeit raw — roster entered Thursday night’s home game against Milwaukee with a 2-5 record and in last place in the Pacific Division. Westphal finished with a 51-120 record in Sacramento.
The 61-year-old previously coached the Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics. In a statement released by the team, Westphal thanked the Maloofs, his coaching staff and players for the opportunity.
“While the job is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make,” he said.
Roethlisberger sore but practices
PITTSBURGH— Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced Thursday but remains bothered by a sprained left ankle heading into Sunday’s wild card game at Denver.
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said Roethlisberger was “moving around OK, not as good as he was.” Roethlisberger originally sprained the ankle in a win over Cleveland on Dec. 8 then aggravated the injury in the second half of a win over the Browns last weekend.
Indiana holds off Michigan
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Christian Watford scored 25 points and connected on 1 of 2 free throws with 2.9 seconds left Thursday night, leading the 12th-ranked Hoosiers to a 73-71 victory over No. 16 Michigan.
Indiana (14-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is 11-0 at Assembly Hall this season and has three wins over ranked opponents — its highest total in a season since beating four in 2005-06.
And while the Hoosiers never even trailed Thursday, it certainly was treacherous.
The Wolverines (12-3, 2-1) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 71/2 minutes and came within a last-second heave of beating the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall for only the second time since 1996. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points for Michigan.
No. 17 UNLV 89,
Cal St. Bakersfield 57
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Mike Moser and Justin Hawkins both scored 17 points and No. 17 UNLV won its seventh straight game.
No. 24 SDSU 83,
San Diego Christian 52
SAN DIEGO — Junior guard DeShawn Stephens scored a career-high 18 points and San Diego State ran past its NAIA foe.
No. 25 Gonzaga 73,
Pepperdine 45
SPOKANE, Wash. — Freshman Gary Bell Jr. scored 15 points and Gonzaga beat Pepperdine for the 21st consecutive time.
