The Sacramento Kings dismissed third-year coach Mike Brown on Friday, following a stunning one-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Brown held practice and a media session Friday, but was fired before the team's flight for its Saturday night game at the Los Angeles Lakers, setting off a wave of admonishment from other coaches around the league including the Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr and Denver Nuggets' Michael Malone.
The dismissal came after the Kings allowed Pistons guard Jaden Ivey to convert a game-winning four-point play in the final seconds of regulation. Sacramento blew a lead that was as big as 19 points and 16 in the fourth quarter. Brown was heavily critical of the team's failure to foul before Ivey could launch the shot, and laid into star guard De'Aaron Fox for his defense on the play.
