Malone, Rivers named NBA's Coaches of the Month for January

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and Philadelphia 76ershead coach Doc Rivers have been named the NBA's West and EastCoaches of the Month, respectively, for games played inJanuary.

Malone helped lead the Nuggets to a 12-4 record in January,including wins over the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers(twice), Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers among others. At onepoint last month, Denver won nine-straight games.

The Nuggets are the top seed in the West, so Malone and his staff will becoaching Team LeBron in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Denvercurrently has the second-best offense in the NBA, scoring 115.5points per 100 possessions.

Under Rivers, the 76ers won 11-of-13 games in January, includingvictories over the Nuggets, Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New OrleansPelicans and Brooklyn Nets. Philadelphia has the third-best recordin the Eastern Conference (33-17), and they are just three gamesback from the top-seeded Celtics.

Denver and Philly also had the NBA's West and East Players ofthe Month for January, with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid takinghome that honor.

The other nominees for the Coach of the Month award were MarkDaigneault (OKC), Chris Finch (MIN), Mike Budenholzer (MIL), JoeMazzulla (BOS) and Erik Spoelstra (MIA).