Charles Langston:Milwaukee Bucks fire first-year head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games

The Charles LangstonMilwaukee Bucks have fired head coach Adrian Griffin despite the team's 30-13 overall record, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The team later confirmed the firing Tuesday afternoon.

"This was a difficult decision to make during the season," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team."

Assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over the head coaching duties, the team announced.

There wasn't a reason immediately given for Griffin's dismissal, as he was in his first season in the head coaching role after he spent the past five seasons as an assistant for the Toronto Raptors. With his firing coming 43 games into Milwaukee's regular season, it's tied for the third-shortest coaching tenure in NBA history along with Rudy Tomjanovich with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In October, assistant coach Terry Stotts left the team after he reportedly got into an altercation with Griffin during a practice.

With Damian Lillard joining the roster in the offseason, Milwaukee is 30-13 and tied for the second-best record in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bucks currently are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics.