Mike Budenholzer was introduced as coach of the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Mike Budenholzer is the newest head coach of the Phoenix Suns after the franchise turned to the man who beat them in the 2021 NBA Finals.

The Charlotte Hornets have named Charles Lee as their next head coach.

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games despite having one of the league’s top records midway through his first season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to see how committed the Milwaukee Bucks are to competing for another championship before deciding whether to sign a contract extension with them.

Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Denver’s Michael Malone are two of the four NBA coaches to have spent at least eight years with their current team.

It’s the best time of year in the NBA, with the playoff field getting down to its final four on Sunday.

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Mike Budenholzer just over a week after their stunning first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat spoiled a season in which they owned the NBA’s best record.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was ruled out of Game 3 of his team’s Eastern Conference first-round series against the Miami Heat on Saturday night because of his ongoing back issue.

Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play for the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies aren’t saying whether their star players will be available Wednesday night as both teams try to avoid falling into 0-2 holes before hitting the road in their respective first-round series.

Anthony Davis scared Los Angeles Lakers fans by grabbing at his right shoulder and saying he couldn’t move his arm.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo landed hard on his backside after a drive to the basket and was ruled out of his team’s Eastern Conference playoff series opener against the Miami Heat with a bruised lower back.

When Klay Thompson gets hot, forget it.

The road to the NBA Finals now goes through Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t play in the Milwaukee Bucks’ game against the Phoenix Suns because of what the team is describing as a bruised right quadriceps.

Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo was scheduled to be in New York on Monday to undergo testing and get further evaluation on his injured right wrist, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having issues at the foul line again.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 44 points, LeBron James overtook Magic Johnson on the NBA’s career assists list and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 in a thriller.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, then Grayson Allen made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 30 seconds left after his superstar teammate fouled out to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-103 victory over the New York Knicks.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points, rookie A.J. Griffin came off the bench in Trae Young’s absence to add a career-high 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening, nine-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their season-opening winning streak to a franchise record nine games with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-102 to improve to 8-0, the best start to a season in franchise history.

Wesley Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 90-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

A person with knowledge of the decision says Darvin Ham has accepted an offer to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Milwaukee Bucks and star Giannis Antetokounmpo wilted in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series and saw their hopes of repeat NBA championships come to an end.

Boston forward/center Robert Williams missed his third straight game with an injured left knee as the Celtics tried to keep their season alive Friday night in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will miss at least two more games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics as he recovers from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

The only team to register a first-round sweep, the Boston Celtics enter their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks loaded with confidence.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer offered no new details Friday on Khris Middleton’s potential availability for the defending champions’ Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with the Boston Celtics.

The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered from a bumpy beginning and rediscovered their championship form in plenty of time to dispose of the Chicago Bulls in their opening-round series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds and the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks routed the Chicago Bulls 116-100 on Wednesday night to finish off the first-round series in five games.

Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

Grayson Allen made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls 111-81 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series without the injured Khris Middleton.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton hopes two weeks is all he needs to recover from his sprained left knee and get back to helping his team repeat as NBA champion.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss at least two weeks after injuring his left knee Wednesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.

DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points for his career playoff high and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday to tie their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the No. 8 play-in spot — and a matchup against Brooklyn — with a 133-115 win over Milwaukee.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become Milwaukee’s career scoring leader on a 3-pointer that forced overtime, and then made two free throws in the final seconds to give the Bucks a 120-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says the absence of Brook Lopez for much of the season has caused the Milwaukee Bucks to appreciate the 7-foot veteran on a whole new level.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 126-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Jrue Holiday had 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday.

Jrue Holiday banked in a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Miami Heat 120-119.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break knowing they've got work ahead just to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Joel Embiid had 42 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and the Philadelphia 76ers regrouped after squandering a 15-point lead to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 on Thursday night.

Deandre Ayton scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns beat Milwaukee 131-107 in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals won by the Bucks.

Trae Young scored 30 points and the struggling Atlanta Hawks rallied for a 121-114 victory over thee Milwaukee Bucks to snap a 10-game home losing streak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had his third triple-double of the season to help Milwaukee rout the Golden State Warriors 118-99 on Thursday night in Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer’s return from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.

Another NBA head coach has entered the league's health and safety protocols.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points in his return from a one-game absence, Khris Middleton added 15 of his 20 in the third quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks blew out the Brooklyn Nets 121-109.

Mike Budenholzer has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Giannis Antetokounpo is sidelined with an illness unrelated to COVID-19, leaving the Milwaukee Bucks without their coach and star player against Toronto.

Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from a two-game absence and scored 27 points on his 27th birthday to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104.

Julius Randle had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the New York Knicks erased an early 21-point deficit and routed the Milwaukee Bucks 113-98.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense.

The Milwaukee Bucks will visit the White House on Nov. 8 to celebrate their NBA championship, the first title for the franchise in 50 years.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and the Milwaukee Bucks opened the defense of their first title in half a century by beating the Brooklyn Nets 127-104 on Tuesday.

The exhibition game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies was suspended after three quarters when a fire alarm went off, leading to evacuation of FedExForum.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has received a contract extension after guiding the team to its first NBA title in a half-century.

The happiest basketball coach in the world right now should be Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer.

Giannis Antetokounmpo pointed to a pair of scratches, one on his forehead and the other on his cheek.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis is relying on lessons he learned earlier in his career as he adapts to his inconsistent playoff usage.

Giannis Antetokounmpo shook his head, unwilling to place himself in the class of the only player with a longer streak of 40-point games in an NBA Finals.

For the second time this postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have staggered home with a 2-0 deficit and a couple key players who can’t shoot straight.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his bum left knee bulldozed through the Phoenix Suns defense for most of Game 2, once again giving the Milwaukee Bucks more than they could have dreamed in these NBA Finals.

If Vince Budenholzer had his way, the Milwaukee Bucks would start guarding Chris Paul the minute he walked into the arena.

At their best, the Phoenix Suns have three players who can take over a game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo started and played well in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after missing two games with a knee injury.

The two regular-season games between Milwaukee and Phoenix this season fit the same script.

Brook Lopez scored a playoff career-high 33 points and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence and beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 on Thursday to regain the lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Trae Young will miss the Atlanta Hawks’ Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday due to an ankle injury.

The Atlanta Hawks are following a familiar playoff script in their Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lengthy free-throw routine might be too long to be legal.

There's more than a berth in the NBA Finals for the winner of the improbable matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks.

The Brooklyn Nets will continue to play without Kyrie Irving and don’t know exactly what they can expect from James Harden as the star players deal with injuries.

First they lost James Harden, then Kyrie Irving, and finally the Brooklyn Nets lost their lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The NBA has disciplined the Brooklyn Nets security guard who went on the Fiserv Forum court and appeared to shove P.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points in three quarters of a top-to-bottom blowout that sent the Brooklyn Nets halfway to the Eastern Conference finals with a 125-86 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.

James Harden won’t be back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Milwaukee’s roster transformation started after losing to Miami in last season’s NBA playoffs, one that made the Bucks give themselves a critical look.

Milwaukee guard Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a win away from a sweep of the Miami Heat and a berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Atlanta Hawks spent three miserable years totally rebuilding their team, all with the idea of finally making a big move this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 49 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks edged Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 117-114.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Kelly Oubre Jr. converted a pair of free throws with 7.7 seconds left to give Golden State the lead and Milwaukee missed at the end as the Warriors held off the Bucks 122-121.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, moves to the rim as Denver Nuggets forward JaMychal Green defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Denver. Middleton had 29 points and a career-high 12 assists, Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and the Milwaukee Bucks won their fifth straight game by beating the Denver Nuggets 125-112 on Monday night. “We still find ourselves trying to figure out how to be a team that plays a lot better in the second half,” Malone said. “We’ve lost three in a row because we haven’t defended anybody.”TIP-INSBucks: The Bucks outrebounded the Nuggets 50-38. “Hope that he's going to be well.”MAIN ATTRACTIONAsked about the marquee matchup between Jokic and Antetokounmpo, Malone feigned hurt feelings.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in New York. They are 2-0 since last week's acquisition of Harden, who is averaging 33 points in his new uniform. Harden had 11 points at halftime following his 32-point Nets debut, when he added 14 assists and 12 rebounds. ... Durant was chosen as Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 34 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists in Brooklyn’s 3-0 week. The Bucks host the NBA champion Lakers on Thursday, two nights before the Nets open a two-game series at home against Miami.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer offered a simple assessment of some of the scores that he’s seen in the early days of this NBA season. There have been only seven gamedays so far this season, yet the NBA has already seen 11 games where one team has led by at least 30 points. Through 54 games this season, 14 have been decided by at least 20 points — a 26% clip. “It does seem like there’s been a handful more than normal,” Budenholzer said of the number of lopsided scores so far. Brooklyn’s two wins have come by 26 and 28 points; the Nets are 0-2 in games decided by five points or fewer.

On Tuesday, they set the NBA record for 3's in a game. The Bucks made a record 29 3-pointers in their 144-97 romp past the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Tuesday night. The previous record for 3’s in a game was 27, set by the Houston Rockets against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019. It was the biggest road win in Bucks history, topping the 39-point margin at New York on April 10, 1987. Heat: The worst Heat loss was 148-80 against Cleveland in 1991.

“Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be in that position,” said Tatum, who scored 30 points. But there’s so many good things happening, including Giannis going to the free-throw line with the game on the line. TIP-INSBucks: During the game, the Bucks exercised their fourth-year team option on guard Donte DiVincenzo for the 2021-22 season. Celtics: Newcomers Jeff Teague scored 19 points in 25 minutes, and Tristan Thompson had 12 points and eight rebounds. It will be Kyrie Irving’s first regular-season game in Boston since leaving the Celtics.

So the reigning two-time MVP decided to show his loyalty to the place where he’s spent his entire NBA career. “It’s the place I want to be,” Antetokounmpo said Wednesday, one day after signing a supermax extension with the Bucks. “I know he’s dancing right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s tough because at the end of the day, nowhere you go, nowhere you are is a guarantee to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo said. “Being able to give back to this city and this organization means a lot,” Antetokounmpo said.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo shouts from the bench in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Bucks listed Antetokounmpo as inactive, doing so about 45 minutes before Tuesdays matchup started. Antetokounmpo sprained the ankle in the first quarter of Game 3, then played his usual minutes the rest of the way. He turned the same ankle the same way inward early in the second quarter of Game 4 and could not return. The Bucks lost Game 3 with Antetokounmpo, then found a way to win Game 4 in overtime even after playing the final 40 of the games 53 minutes without their leading scorer and rebounder. He had 19 points in 11 minutes in Game 4, helping Milwaukee stay in the game early.

Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing most of the game with a sprained right ankle, the Bucks extended their season to a Game 5 on Tuesday. The Heat gave up 12 straight points in the final period Sunday, wasting what was an eight-point lead in a closeout game. Antetokounmpo scored 19 points for the Bucks in only 11 minutes, while Brook Lopez and George Hill each had 14 for Milwaukee. TIP-INSBucks: Milwaukee missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers its last 12 of Game 3 and first seven of Game 4 before Antetokounmpo connected late in the first quarter. Heat: Miami was looking to become the first No.

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (22) goes down during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Having the NBA's best record during the regular season shows the obvious potential of the Milwaukee Bucks. They are now, facing a pivotal Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the rolling Miami Heat on Friday night. We're not focused on anything after Game 3," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. We're not looking back on anything from Game 2 or Game 1.