The Orlando Magic's Scott Skiles and the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.
Skiles led the Magic to the East's best month at 10-5 (.667). Orlando went 5-3 at home and 5-2 on the road. On the defensive end, the Magic held opponents to 96.6 points in December, the fourth-stingiest mark in the NBA.
Popovich guided the Spurs to the league's best record in December at 14-2 (.875). San Antonio went 10-0 at home, and at the end of December owned a 19-0 mark at AT&T Center.
Other nominees for Coach of the Month were Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer, Cleveland's David Blatt, Detroit's Stan Van Gundy, Golden State's Luke Walton, the Los Angeles Clippers' Doc Rivers, Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan and Toronto's Dwane Casey.