Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams has agreed to become the next Phoenix Suns coach, the Suns announced Friday.

The deal is for five years, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Williams, 47, is the Suns' seventh coach in an eight-season span. The team fired Igor Kokoskov last month after one season.

"Monty brings a wealth of NBA experience, both as a coach and former player, in addition to being a high-character individual who will infuse basketball wisdom and life lessons into our locker room," Suns general manager James Jones said in a release announcing the move. "Monty is well respected for his coaching pedigree, leadership and commitment to the community, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team moving forward."

Williams returned to coaching this season as Brett Brown's top assistant. He spent the previous two years in the San Antonio Spurs' front office following the death of his wife, Ingrid, in early 2016.

"Anybody who pays attention even a little bit understands he's elite people," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "He's emerging, relatively young coach who's incredibly relational and has been studying how to be an NBA coach. He's been around and I hope he's taken something from our program."

Williams left the Oklahoma City Thunder as associate head coach in the aftermath of his wife's death. He and his children relocated to San Antonio, where Williams had extended family.

Before his time with the Thunder, Williams coached New Orleans for five seasons. He reached the playoffs in his first season (2010-11) and his last (2014-15).

This season, the Suns finished tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second-worst record in the NBA at 19-63. The New York Knicks were 17-65. Phoenix was an NBA-worst 21-61 a year ago.

Since 2012-13, the Suns are 199-375, tied with the Orlando Magic for the worst record in the NBA in that span.

NBA referees will host a question-and-answer session on Twitter for games Sunday and Monday, interacting with fans in real time over calls in playoff games.

The referees have done this periodically over the past year, but this is the first time they will operate the "Ref Watch Party" during this postseason, which has been filled with tension between officials and teams.

They will be active for Sunday's Game 4 between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) and Monday's Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics (7 p.m. ET, TNT).

The National Basketball Referees Association will field questions at their Twitter handle, @OfficialNBARefs, using the hashtag #RefWatchParty.

The Chicago Bulls have agreed to a contract extension with coach Jim Boylen, the team announced Friday.

After replacing Fred Hoiberg in December, Boylen had agreed to a short contract that would take him through the end of the 2019-20 season, but this new, multiyear deal will replace it, league sources told ESPN. Boylen is in the process of interviewing assistant coaching candidates, league sources said.

Bulls ownership and management consider Boylen the teacher the franchise needs now with a young roster and love the way he has been able to build relationships with players while also holding them accountable and coaching them hard.

The Bulls return a strong core of young players that are expected to be complemented in free agency -- and a 12.5 percent chance in the draft lottery of securing the No. 1 overall pick.

After Hoiberg's firing in December, Boylen was promoted from associate head coach. From the beginning, the Bulls made it clear that they would likely not be conducting a coaching search in the offseason, electing to make Boylen coach instead of an interim.

"Jim has a strong vision on where he wants to take this team, and he has done a great job establishing the culture that we want this organization to stand for as we continue to progress," executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said in a statement Friday. "He has tremendous passion for developing young talent, is a strong communicator and a good fit for this team. The organization is confident in the direction that he is taking our players, and we are committed to him."

Boylen had a tumultuous beginning to his tenure as coach but eventually started to show improvement as players began to respond to his hard-driving coaching style. Zach LaVine, who was skeptical of Boylen's coaching style early on, has since said that he has learned to trust the first-year coach. In March, LaVine went so far as to offer to pay an ejection fine for Boylen.

ESPN's Malika Andrews contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Lakers are proceeding toward an offer to Ty Lue in the coming days and have no plans to introduce new candidates into their head-coaching search, league sources told ESPN.

The team has been on its own timetable throughout this process and has yet to offer the job to any candidate, league sources said.

Lue has been a favorite throughout because of his X's & O's knowledge. His strong relationship with LeBron James is seen as a positive as well. But Lue impressed the team in interviews with his basketball mind and strategic approach to this Lakers roster, sources close to the process said.

The team's other top candidate, Monty Williams, agreed to become the Phoenix Suns head coach Friday morning without knowing the Lakers' plans, league sources said.

Sources said the Lakers were determined to stay on their own timetable for making this decision regardless of what other teams and candidates did.

DENVER -- NIKOLA JOKIC is sitting on a leather couch in the Denver Nuggets' player lounge, an ice pack attached to his right side.

There's a 5-inch scar that runs across the top of his left arm near his shoulder and several other claw marks that come in all different sizes and shades of red. There are some fresh ones from the previous night, when the Nuggets won Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"All year round," he says. "I have a long one here, a really big one from last year.

"I lead the league in scratches. I'm always bleeding -- I'm used to it. I am going to wear sleeves next year -- 100 percent."

They are remnants of a breakout season for Jokic, who landed in Denver four years ago as a largely unknown, Coca-Cola-guzzling second-round draft pick out of Sombor, Serbia. The 7-footer weighed about 292 pounds when he arrived and looked "soft" to one of the Nuggets' conditioning coaches. Jokic was asked to test his core strength with a plank exercise, which requires the subject to hold a push-up position with forearms flat on the floor for as long as possible.

He lasted 20 seconds, tops.

"I died! I died," Jokic recalls, growing animated. "I was shaking. I said 'I can't.' I said, 'fuuuuuuuu ...'"

Those days are over. Jokic, 24, earned his first All-Star nod this season, flirted with MVP hype and has been dominant in his first playoff action, averaging nearly a triple-double.

But beneath the stats and the headlines and the scars is a playful 7-foot kid. It's what makes "Joker" beloved by his teammates, coaches and seemingly every Pepsi Center employee.

Not long after Jokic shows off his battle scars, he sits up on the leather couch and starts reenacting a scene from his new favorite show.

"Did you see the pump-fake that Arya did?" Jokic asks before providing a basketball analysis of the recent "Game of Thrones" episode. He reenacts the defining scene from the show's "Battle of Winterfell," which ended with (spoiler alert) Arya killing the Night King by dropping her dagger from her left hand into her right and stabbing the show's most fearsome character.

"But!" Jokic exclaims, pretending to hold his own dagger high in the air and dropping it while making a sound effect. "It's a really good pump-fake. And the Night King, he jumped at it. So, he bite."

GoT may be his current interest, but Jokic's passion waits for him back in Sombor. He owns three horses -- Dream Catcher, Donita Firm and Bella Marguerite -- and grew up loving harness racing.

"You can see the passion," Nuggets strength and conditioning coach Felipe Eichenberger says. "That is his escape. He goes and sits down and watches his horse for hours."

"I enjoy animals," Jokic says. "Their nature. They're really good animals. Every different horse has a different personality, like a human."

IN PREVIOUS YEARS, Jokic would be back in Serbia. But this year, the horses are going to have to wait.

The Nuggets face the Blazers in Game 3 of the tied series on Friday night.

It's Jokic's first time playing this many games, but the extra wear and tear doesn't seem to be taking a toll. He's averaging 23.9 points, 12 rebounds and 8.6 assists. He's also averaging 37.8 minutes, sixth highest in the league.

Not bad for a player who still hears comments about his body and fitness.

"That story has been [with me] all my life," Jokic says about surprising people who underestimate him based on his appearance. "To be honest, sometimes it is funny for me just because [sometimes what they say] it's true, and [yet] I am still playing in the NBA.

"Someone said, 'He's not even in shape.' I am playing in 80 games and he said that I'm not even in shape."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who described Jokic as "magnificent" after the Nuggets eliminated the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, joked about the shade thrown at Jokic's body type and perceived lack of athleticism.

"I just hope that he doesn't wreck it all going to the weight room or anything," Popovich cracked with a sly smile. "You know?"

Jokic credits Eichenberger and Steve Hess, Denver's former head of strength and conditioning, with helping him lower his body fat percentage, changing his diet and adding more muscle mass to handle the physicality of the NBA.

"Someone said, 'He's not even in shape.' I am playing in 80 games and he said that I'm not even in shape." Nikola Jokic

Jokic is listed at 250 but says he's playing between 275-280 -- his preferred playing weight.

He jokes about the changes in his body from the time he arrived in Denver.

"There were not any muscles," Jokic deadpans. "Now around 292, but I have a couple of muscles."

"To be honest, I like to be a little bit heavier like how I am right now," Jokic says. "I was lighter than this, say 15 pounds. But I didn't feel right. Because the guys are pushing me, I was not that heavy, I was light. I just needed a little bit more weight to keep up with those guys."

Jokic drinks protein shakes and will follow detailed nutrition plans with prepared meals periodically during the season. Eichenberger had Jokic on a seven-week prepared-meal plan leading into the All-Star break. It increased Jokic's intake from 3,000 to 5,200 calories a day. Jokic dropped 10 pounds by consuming the right type of calories and protein while eating five meals a day. Jokic had to remind himself to eat every three hours.

"He eats well," Eichenberger says. "But he likes sweets. He really likes sweets."

Eichenberger has visited Jokic in Sombor the past two summers to train, and he has gained a better understanding of Jokic's eating habits. In Serbia, Eichenberger noticed that every meal they had started with a salad, then a soup followed by a meal and dessert.

"It could be cultural," Eichenberger said of Jokic's sweet tooth.

Jokic has made his share of sacrifices. After drinking three liters of Coke a day growing up in Serbia, Jokic had his last can of the soft drink on his first flight to Denver in 2015.

"I think it's just mental," Jokic says. "Like, don't let Coke be stronger than you."

JOKIC'S PREGAME ROUTINE sometimes includes scouting his own teammates. He looks for different tendencies or movements that could help his passing game.

"You need to know your own personnel," Jokic says.

Jokic knows to factor in that Gary Harris and Monte Morris like to go right, Jamal Murray prefers to go left and to pass the ball directly to Will Barton and let him decide which direction to go in.

He also will improvise and deliver a wild-card pass to test the defense and see what he can get away with. The big man is like a point guard, always thinking two or three steps ahead.

"If I see something, even if it's risky, I am going to try it," Jokic says. "Because maybe that mistake is going to open up something else, or next time it is going to be there just to give it a chance. ... I know it's every possession matters, but I think maybe that possession is going to open up the next three or four times, something else just to see what the opposing team is doing, you know?"

Jokic has thrown the most passes in the NBA this season, some 800 more than point guard Ben Simmons, who is in second place. The Nuggets rank first among postseason teams with an average of 1.22 points per possession when Jokic brings the ball up the floor, according to Second Spectrum tracking.

Teammate Paul Millsap likens Jokic's ability to read defenses to that of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

"I just look where [defenders are] standing, what they're doing, what they're talking about, just listen to everything," Jokic says. "You need to learn their calls, how they're coming from the baseline and the nail [middle of the free throw line].

"For me, it's just a normal thing. I just wonder what they're doing, and I am doing opposite of what they're doing."

"If I see something, even if it's risky, I am going to try it. Because maybe that mistake is going to open up something else, or next time it is going to be there ..." Jokic on his passing mindset

Harris has seen opposing coaches try everything to neutralize Jokic's passing skills.

"Let him score" was the craziest strategy, Harris says. "Other than that, everybody tries to double him."

Jokic is still surprising some opponents.

"He does a lot of little things that is in his favor because he doesn't depend on athleticism and speed and all that stuff," Portland's Damian Lillard said. "So it is kind of sneaky."

JOKIC WALKS ONTO the dais for his postgame session with the media, but before he takes questions, he addresses his newest nemesis: the microphone stand.

In what has become a comedic moment almost every time Jokic conducts a postgame media conference, he tries to remove the microphone from its stand so he can hold it close to his chest.

Jokic, though, has not been able to pull the microphone out or put it back with ease. Such was the case after Game 6 in San Antonio, where he became so frustrated trying to put the mic back in that he cursed under his breath.

"F--- this s---," Jokic said with a sigh.

The clip made the rounds on the internet.

But after the Nuggets' Game 7 win over the Spurs, Jokic successfully snapped the microphone back in place before celebrating with a hilarious roar.

"It's a fight," Jokic said, shaking his head. "It's a fight. It's 1-1 now, and hopefully at the end of the season, I am going to beat the mic."

At least this battle shouldn't leave a mark.

CHICAGO -- The injury woes for Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon worsened Thursday with the news that he was being placed on the injured list because of inflammation in the elbow of his pitching arm.

Rodon struggled in his two most recent outings for Chicago, saying he had a difficult time keeping his arm loose. He lasted just three innings during a start against Detroit, allowing nine runs and eight hits on April 26. Then in the first game of a doubleheader against Baltimore on Wednesday, Rodon was pulled during the fourth after giving up three runs in the frame.

It has been a seasonlong issue for Rodon, but during the last inning against the Orioles, the problem came to a head.

"It's just been tight, really, the whole season," Rodon said Thursday. "But nothing like yesterday. Yesterday kind of got me a little bit. It didn't really loosen up like it normally does."

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that after initial examinations by the club's medical staff, it was determined that Rodon has an edema in his pitching arm.

"Upon examination, [Rodon] revealed some tenderness over the forearm," Hahn said. "We ordered some studies on them that revealed some edema in the flexor mass, which is essentially is some blood in the muscle. That's obviously not a good thing, and trying to figure out the cause of that is what ultimately will dictate the course of action."

Rodon will undergo further diagnostic tests in an attempt to find what's causing the edema and the resultant tightness in his forearm. However, Hahn expects his hurler to be out for a while and says that he can't rule out the possibility of Tommy John surgery.

"At this point, I can just say that everything is on the table," Hahn said. "I can't rule anything out. I don't want to speak for any doctors. We've got to get everybody involved and understand exactly what we're dealing with."

The news was particularly unwelcoming for a White Sox staff that has struggled to string together quality innings from its starting rotation. It's also a position group that has seen a rash of injuries, such as the elbow injuries suffered by top prospects Michael Kopech and Dane Dunning, and a recent IL stint for righty Lucas Giolito because of a hamstring strain.

"Look, 'punch in the gut' is one of many phrases that has been thrown around here over the last few hours," Hahn said. "It's frustrating. It's disappointing. At the same time, it's the by-product of having a significant number of potentially impactful guys."

Giolito was activated Thursday to fill Rodon's spot on the active roster. He was slated to start Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Hahn added that righty Dylan Covey will assume Rodon's spot in the rotation for the near term and emphasized that the timeline for top prospect Dylan Cease would not be affected by injury-related shortages at the big-league level.

Rodon was the third pick of the 2014 draft, but his White Sox career has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency. He spent time on the injured list in 2016 because of a sprained wrist. In 2017, he missed nearly three months because of bursitis in his left bicep. He returned that season but ended up back on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, an issue serious enough to eventually require surgery that kept him from the active roster for nine months.

Despite the continuous setbacks, Rodon seems to take it all as a hazard of his very unique occupation.

"It's super frustrating," Rodon said. "It's something that's out of anyone's control. It's no one's fault. Things like this happen. Second time something like this happens, there is not much you can do about it. You've just got to roll with the punches."

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds are bringing up top prospect Nick Senzel for his major league debut.

The 23-year-old outfielder will bat second and play center field against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. He was ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball entering this season by ESPN's Keith Law.

It's time. #BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/gTEAOC465E

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 3, 2019

Cincinnati selected his contract from Louisville, optioned right-hander Matt Bowman to the Triple-A farm team and transferred second baseman Scooter Gennett to the 60-day injured list.

Senzel was the second overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft from Tennessee and signed for a $6.2 million bonus.

He sprained his right ankle during a minor league spring training game on March 25 and did not make his season debut at Triple-A Louisville until April 23. He hit .257 including one double, one homer and two RBIs in eight games and 35 at-bats.

Senzel played third, shortstop and second before transitioning to the outfield this year.

He hit .310 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 44 games at Louisville last season before season-ending surgery on June 28 to repair a broken right index finger. He returned to play in the instructional league, then had surgery Oct. 16 for bone spurs in his left, non-throwing, elbow.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Diamond League series starts in style, with Asher-Smith and Semenya among athletes to impress in Qatar

The 10th edition of the IAAF Diamond League series got off to a strong start on Friday, with Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and South Africa’s Caster Semenya among athletes to secure success.

In her first individual race of the season, triple European champion Asher-Smith made a statement with a dominant 200m victory. Her time of 22.26 (+1.1m/s) in the Khalifa Stadium, which will host the World Championships later this year, saw her finish well clear of the rest of the field, with Dutch European medallist Jamile Samuel second in 22.90 and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare third in 23.14.

USA’s world 400m champion Phyllis Francis finished seventh in 23.47, while Britain’s Shannon Hylton did not get the chance to race following her disqualification for a false start.

“I didn’t know what to expect in my first race of the season but I ran faster than I thought I would so I’m really happy,” said British record-holder Asher-Smith.

“I ran a good race technically and this is a beautiful arena, I’m so glad I came here.

“To win in this stadium means a lot to me and it was nice to test out the arena and the track before the IAAF World Championships. There was a great championship atmosphere here and my aim is to come back here healthy and just try to do my best.

“Tonight, I didn’t expect to win in that way against such an accomplished field so it’s a good sign but the season is only just beginning.”

World champion Ramil Guliyev won the men’s 200m in 19.99 (+1.3m/s) from Alex Quiñónez with 20.19, while Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake was sixth in 20.83 and Ireland’s Leon Reid seventh in 20.93.

Given the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling which had been announced just two days before, there was unsurprisingly a great deal of attention on the women’s 800m and the performance of Semenya, who had been a late entry to the field.

As reported on Wednesday, the CAS dismissed the challenges from both Semenya and Athletics South Africa against the IAAF’s new rules on female classification, with the new regulations coming into effect on May 8.

After following the pacemaker through 400m in 56.66, Semenya continued to control the race and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:54.98 on the clock to secure her 30th consecutive 800m victory in the 15th quickest-ever time.

Olympic and world silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi was second in 1:57.75, while USA’s Ajeé Wilson was third in 1:58.83 and Britain’s Lynsey Sharp ninth in 2:01.51.

Speaking after the race, Semenya confirmed that she will “keep on training and running”.

“I’m excited winning here in Doha,” said the two-time Olympic and three-time world champion. “The first race of the season is tough and you may not be able to predict how your body is going to respond to the push but the weather is great and it was wonderful tonight.

“For me, I believe nothing is hard in life because it is up to you how you take life. As an athlete, I believe in sportsmanship and what sports teaches you is to keep pushing on despite all odds.

“I know life could be difficult at times but I’m a believer and I believe there is always a way to resolve issues. One of my firm beliefs is that there is always a way out for everything. So if a wall is placed in front of me, I jump it.

“I’m going to keep enjoying my life and live it. I will keep on training and running. To me, impossibility is nothing.”

The meeting had got off to an impressive start as Sweden’s world silver medallist Daniel Ståhl opened his discus competition with a Diamond League record throw of 69.63m before further improving it to 70.49m and then 70.56m.

Colombia’s Caterine Ibargüen, who last year won Diamond League titles in both the long jump and triple jump, leapt into the lead of the long jump competition in the fifth round and her 6.76m was enough to secure the win. Britain’s Lorraine Ugen finished fourth with 6.62m and Shara Proctor eighth with 6.35m.

Sam Kendricks soared over 5.80m in the pole vault, achieving a Tokyo Olympic qualifying standard as well as the win, while GB’s Charlie Myers cleared a best of 5.46m to place sixth. Women’s high jump victory was claimed by 17-year-old Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine as she cleared an outdoor PB of 1.96m and USA’s Ryan Crouser won the shot put with a throw of 22.13m.

Dalilah Muhammad clocked a meeting record of 53.61 to win the 400m hurdles as GB’s Meghan Beesley was sixth in 56.01, while the women’s 100m hurdles was won by Danielle Williams in 12.66 from Tobi Amusan with 12.73.

Nijel Amos won the 800m, clocking 1:44.29 from Emmanuel Korir with 1:44.50, while Soufiane El Bakkali battled to victory in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 8:07.22 from Hillary Bor with 8:08.41, and Elijah Manangoi kicked to victory in the 1500m, clocking 3:32.21 ahead of Timothy Cheruiyot with 3:32.47.

Back on the track after her win at the World Cross in March, Hellen Obiri won the 3000m from Genzebe Dibaba, clocking 8:25.60 to Dibaba’s 8:26.20 PB.

Click here for full results.

CHICO, Calif. – After coming so close on many occasions, last year was the year that Willie Croft finally broke through and won the prestigious Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial.

Fast forward one year later, and the coveted Bradway is again up for grabs, with Croft hungry to defend his win on Saturday at California’s Silver Dollar Speedway.

“It’s been a bit of and up and down start to our season,” Croft said. “We have had good speed at times, just have had things not go our way and keep us from good finishes. We had really good speed during the last KWS 410ci race, and I am looking forward to getting back up to Chico this weekend and competing for another Bradway win.”

After a slew of 360 Sprint Car Challenge Tour events, Croft and company will get their 410ci engine bolted back into the frame rails of the Holey Smokes BBQ/ButlerBuilt/Brown and Miller-backed No. 29 to compete in the unsanctioned Bill Brownell Memorial on Friday.

Croft will then get back to King of the West/NARC action on Saturday night for the 29th Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial.

“The Bradway is easily one of the biggest races we compete in with the King of the West Series,’ Croft said. “It is a race that means a ton to my family so to be able to win it was special, but we aren’t satisfied with just one.

“We want another and hopefully we can accomplish that goal on Saturday night.”