HOUSTON — Ime Udoka has been hired as the new coach of the Houston Rockets, a source familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season, then was suspended for this season after the disclosure of an inappropriate relationship with a female Celtics employee.

The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team had not officially announced the move.

He replaces Stephen Silas, who was fired after three seasons.

The Rockets had the worst record in the previous two seasons and finished tied with the Spurs for the second-worst record this season, earning another lottery pick in this year’s draft.

The 45-year-old Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record in his one season in Boston. The Celtics finished the regular season on a 26-6 run and beat Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami in the playoffs before falling to Golden State in six games in the NBA Finals.

Udoka wasn’t drafted and played professionally in Europe ahead of a seven-year NBA career that included short stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Knicks and Trail Blazers before he spent three of his last four years with the Spurs.

He then joined Coach Gregg Popovich’s staff as an assistant, working with San Antonio from 2012-19. Udoka then spent one season each as an assistant with the 76ers and Nets before being hired to replace Brad Stevens in Boston.

Udoka was a candidate to replace Nick Nurse in Toronto before being hired by the Rockets over candidates that included Nurse, Sam Cassell and Frank Vogel.

Udoka takes over a team that made the playoffs in eight straight seasons before the trade of James Harden in January 2021 led to a complete rebuild. General Manager Rafael Stone said this month that he plans to pursue some veteran free agents this offseason to add to Houston’s young talent as the Rockets try to turn things around.

The Rockets hope to build their team around Jalen Green, the third pick in the 2021 draft and Jabari Smith, taken second in 2022. And they’ll get to add another top player this year as one of three teams with the best odds to win the draft lottery and get the No. 1 pick at 14%.

Terms of Udoka’s deal were not immediately available.

HAWKS: Guard Dejounte Murray has been suspended for Game 5 of the playoff series against the Boston Celtics with Atlanta facing the end of its season.

The NBA announced Murray will have to sit out one game without pay for making inappropriate contact with an official, as well as verbal abuse.

The incident occurred after the Hawks’ 129-121 loss in Game 4, which pushed Boston to a 3-1 lead in the series. The suspension was handed out by Joe Dumars, the league’s head of basketball operations and chief disciplinarian.

After the horn sounded to end the game, Murray was captured on video bumping official Gediminas Petraitis with his chest while walking off the court. The player then turned to yell something at the referee before he was pulled away and directed toward the locker room.

The Celtics can advance to the second round with a victory at home Tuesday night.

Murray scored 23 points in Game 4, but it was his worst outing of the series. The Hawks were outscored by 16 points while he was on the court.

Murray is averaging 25.3 points in the series, leaving a huge hole for the Hawk to fill as they try to extend the season on the road.

AWARD: A recruit in the Finnish military is now the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz was announced as the winner of this season’s most improved award, as voted on by 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league.

The news came just past 2 a.m. Tuesday in Helsinki, where Markkanen is currently fulfilling the military service that is mandated for all Finnish men before they turn 30.

KINGS: Star guard De’Aaron Fox broke the index finger on his shooting hand and is doubtful to play in Game 5 of the Kings’ first-round series against the Golden State Warriors.

A person familiar with the injury said that Fox injured the finger on his left hand late in a Game 4 loss to the Warriors on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t publicly release details.

Fox remained in the game after the injury and even made a key 3-pointer in the closing minute before Sacramento lost 126-125. Fox passed out of a double team on the final possession and the Kings lost when Harrison Barnes missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The series is tied at two games apiece headed into Game 5 in Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Fox has emerged as a star in his first trip to the postseason, averaging 31.5 points, seven assists and six rebounds through six games.

His 38 points in a Game 1 win were tied for the second most for a player in his postseason debut and his 126 points so far are tied for the sixth most for any player in his first four career playoff games.

Fox had 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Game 4 loss.

Fox was announced last week as the inaugural winner of the NBA’s clutch player of the year award. He led the league in clutch-game scoring this season with 194 points in 39 such games; clutch games are defined as those where the margin between teams is five points or less at any point in the final five minutes.

That was the most clutch points scored in a season since LeBron James had 197 in the 2017-18 season.

MONDAY’S GAME

HEAT 119, BUCKS 114: Jimmy Butler scored a Miami playoff record 56 points, and the Heat roared back from 14 points down in the final quarter to stun visiting Milwaukee  to put the NBA’s top overall seed on the brink of early elimination.

The 56 points also became Butler’s career high. He was 19 for 28 from the field, 15 of 18 from the foul line and added nine rebounds for eighth-seeded Miami — which took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Bam Adebayo scored 15, Caleb Martin had 12 and Gabe Vincent scored 10 for the Heat. Game 5 is at Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Brook Lopez scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game absence with a bruised back and had a triple-double — 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.