Skip to content

Bucks beat Suns hours after firing Kidd

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

MILWAUKEE - Khris Middleton scored 35 points and hit two long jumpers in the final minute, Malcolm Brogdon added 32 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 109-105 on Monday night, hours after firing coach Jason Kidd.

Brogdon added a steal with 40 seconds left after the Bucks double-teamed guard Devin Booker in the backcourt. Brogdon lobbed a cross-court pass to Middleton, who hit a jumper from the left corner with 24 seconds left for a 105-100 lead.

Middleton also hit a fade-away jumper from nearly the exact same spot with defender Isaiah Canaan in his face with 54 seconds left for a three-point edge.

T.J. Warren had 23 points for Phoenix, which has lost four of five.

Kidd was fired hours before the game, ending a three-plus-season tenure that included two playoff appearances but stretches of inconsistency on both ends of the floor. Other than a 33-win season in 2015-16, the Bucks hovered around .500 under Kidd as a young core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Brogdon blossomed into top-flight players.

Interim coach Joe Prunty was fiery at times on the sideline and jawed with an official, a contrast from Kidd's typically mild-mannered demeanor.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox