Kings coach Mike Brown enters NBA COVID-19 protocols, will miss game vs. Nuggets
The Sacramento Kings will be without coach Mike Brown on Tuesday night.
Brown entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols on Tuesday, the team announced just hours before their game against the Denver Nuggets was set to tip in Sacramento. Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez will take Brown’s place.
It’s unclear how long Brown will be sidelined. He is reportedly experiencing mild symptoms, according to ESPN's Marc Spears, but he hopes to be cleared to return soon.
Mike Brown has mild symptoms and hopes to be cleared to coach soon, a source said. https://t.co/iXCtAKMpMx
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 27, 2022
Fernandez is in his first season with the Kings after spending the last several years under coach Mike Malone in Denver. Tuesday is Fernandez's 40th birthday.
Feliz Cumpleaños, Coach Jordi! 🎈🥳 pic.twitter.com/9uu1HCTBbL
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 27, 2022
Brown is in his first season leading the Kings after spending the last six seasons as an assistant with Golden State. It marks his fourth head coaching job in the league, following a pair of stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a short run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tuesday will mark the first of a back-to-back series with the Nuggets. The Kings have won three of their last five, though they most recently fell to the Washington Wizards 125-111 on Friday. The Kings are 17-14, which puts them in sixth in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, have won four straight headed into Tuesday and are sitting in first place in the West. Denver only holds a 3.5 game lead over the Kings in the standings.
