Nate McMillan, fired as Indiana’s coach on Wednesday, had a record or 183-136 with the Pacers. He is 661-588 overall in 16 seasons as a head coach in three different stops – Indiana, Portland and Seattle. Ron Jenkins/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Nate McMillan won dozens of regular-season games despite the Indiana Pacers’ continual injuries.
The playoff losses cost him his job.
On Wednesday, two days after enduring a second straight first-round sweep, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard fired McMillan.
“This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction,” Pritchard said, whose relationship with McMillan dates to their earlier days in Portland. “Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honor to work with him for those 11 years.”
The decision was a surprise, given Pritchard’s Aug. 12 announcement that McMillan had been given a one-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season.
At the time, Pritchard cited McMillan’s ability to overcome major injuries – like the one that kept Victor Oladipo out for 12 months – and personnel changes, such as the trade of All-Star forward Paul George.
Another dismal playoff performance apparently changed the equation.
While McMillan’s 183 victories with Indiana rank third in franchise history and the Pacers made the playoffs in each of his four seasons as head coach, McMillan’s teams went just 3-16 in the postseason and were swept three times – the first three times the Pacers haven’t won at least one game in a best-of-seven NBA series.
They haven’t reached the second round since appearing in the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014, and after Monday’s loss to Miami, Indiana has lost a franchise-record nine consecutive playoff games.
McMillan finished his career in Indiana with a record or 183-136. Frank Vogel initially brought McMillan as associate head coach in 2013-14.
McMillan is 661-588 overall in 16 seasons as a head coach in three different stops – Indiana, Portland and Seattle.
TUESDAY’S LATE GAME
CLIPPERS 154, MAVERICKS 111: Paul George scored 35 points, Kawhi Leonard added 32 and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past Dallas on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Montrezl Harrell added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who set a franchise record for points in a playoff game. Los Angeles can clinch the series on Thursday.
Dallas’ Luka Doncic, who hit a game-winner at the buzzer in Game 4 to cap off a 43-point triple-double, was held to 22 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis sat out with right knee soreness. It was the second straight game the 7-foot-3 Latvian missed.
Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle was ejected in the third quarter of the testy game, which included six techincals and a flagrant-1 foul.
Leonard scored 22 points and Paul George scored 18 to help Los Angeles take a 76-52 lead at halftime. The Clippers shot 61% in the first half and led by as many as 27 points. The Clippers continued the onslaught in the second half, bumping the lead to as many as 45 points.
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