Michael Malone's abrupt firing as Denver Nuggets head coach yesterday shocked a city clinging to NBA title aspirations. The big picture: Team management certainly says — publicly, anyway — that this a championship-caliber team and that Malone's dismissal was a piece of the 2025 puzzle.

The Denver Nuggets have fired coach Michael Malone, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The move is a surprise as Malone coached the Nuggets to the NBA title in the 2022-23 season and has led Denver to a 47-32 record this season. That mark is No. 4 in the Western Conference and just 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed.

Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season.