In a shocking move early Tuesday afternoon, the Denver Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Malone’s top assistant, David Adelman, will take over as interim head coach.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a team statement. “And was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere.

“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”

Malone owns a 471-327 record in his 10 seasons in the Mile High City, leading the Nuggets to their first NBA championship in franchise history just two seasons ago. He’s taken Denver to the postseason in each of the last six seasons, winning at least one series in five of those years.

The Nuggets have had winning seasons in eight consecutive years on Malone’s watch, as they missed the playoffs despite a 46-36 record during the 2017-18 campaign.

Malone leads all NBA coaches in wins with 252 over the last five seasons. Ty Lue’s 230 wins rank him second during that span, just ahead of Steve Kerr (228) and Tom Thibodeau (225).

Denver (47-32 straight up, 35-43-1 against the spread) has lost four consecutive games both SU and ATS. The Nuggets, who have only three games left in their regular season, are in fourth place in the Western Conference, but they have only a one-half game lead over four different clubs – Golden St., Minnesota, Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Denver trails the L.A. Lakers by 1.5 games for third place in the West. The Nuggets last three games are Wednesday at Sacramento, Friday at home vs. Memphis and Sunday at Houston.

When Memphis fired Taylor Jenkins 11 days ago, Malone said, “For Taylor to get fired at this late stage of the season and for them to be where they are is really shocking and odd. I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

Now he’s met a similar fate in an even more stunning dismissal.