Charlotte Hornets fire coach James Borrego after 4 seasons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have fired coach James Borrego after blowout losses in back-to-back years in the play-in tournament.

Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak made the announcement on Friday. Kupchak says the team will begin a search for a new coach immediately.

The 44-year-old Borrego was 138-163 in four seasons as the Hornets coach. Charlotte finished 43-39 this season, but was blown out in the play-in game for the second straight year.

The Hornets have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

Charlotte has improved its win total by 10 in each of the past two seasons and the coach expressed his optimism about the team moving forward following the team’s exit interviews.