Bucks' Budenholzer, Thunder's Donovan voted NBCA co-coaches of the year

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and Oklahoma City Thunder bench boss Billy Donovan were voted the National Basketball Coaches Association's co-coaches of the year, the NBCA announced Monday.

The NBA's 30 head coaches vote on the award. Each coach votes for one candidate.

"Mike led the Bucks to the best record in the league for a second straight season and Billy became just the fourth active head coach to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons," Dallas Mavericks head coach and NBCA president Rick Carlisle said in a statement.

"To win the vote of our peers makes the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award one of the most meaningful in all of pro sports."

Voting was conducted based on the results of games played through March 11.

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse finished with the third-most votes and was just one ballot away from forcing a three-way tie with Budenholzer and Donovan, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Budenholzer, who won the honor in 2019, has helped the Bucks improve across the board this season. Milwaukee ranks as the league's best defensive team, while also featuring a top-10 offense.

Meanwhile, Donovan guided a Thunder team that many had counted out at the start of the season to a playoff berth. Oklahoma City is the Western Conference's 6-seed with a 41-24 record entering play Monday.

Nate McMillan (Indiana Pacers), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), Brad Stevens (Boston Celtics), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), and Frank Vogel (Los Angeles Lakers) reportedly received votes as well.

The winner of the NBA's Coach of the Year award, voted on by the league's media, will be named at a later date.