Sacramento Kings fire coach Luke Walton in his third season

The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Luke Walton after getting off to a disappointing start in his third season in charge, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press.

Walton was informed of the decision on Sunday, a day after a 123-105 home loss to Utah that dropped the Kings to 6-11 on the season, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the move.

ESPN first reported the firing.

Walton had a 68-93 record in two-plus seasons as coach, failing to get Sacramento back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.