Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen had his best game of the season on Monday, shooting 7-for-19 from the field and 5-for-6 at the line en route to 21 points in a road win over Charlotte. He was close to a double-double with eight rebounds and collected two steals and three blocks on the defensive end. Markkanen, who shot 2-for-8 from deep, logged 35 minutes and posted two turnovers during his time on the court. The Finnish forward has gone through some dark days since the start of last season, but he's still a talented player and only needs some confidence, and efficiency. Markkanen is shooting only 36 percent from the field and 28 percent from downtown this season. He'll face Portland next, a team that's allowing the opposition to shoot 37 percent from three-point range this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward/center Lauri Markkanen will make his first preseason start in Sunday's game against the Chicago Bulls. With both Darius Garland (illness) and Collin Sexton (shoulder) sidelined for the game, the team will have a big lineup out to kick things off. Starting alongside Markkanen will be Ricky Rubio, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Markkanen could be an interesting player to target for DFS on Sunday. In his most recent game, he logged 21 minutes off the bench and tallied 11 points, seven boards, three three-pointers and a steal.

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine insisted he had never played on a team as talented as the Chicago Bulls were this season. That made it all the more disappointing. Instead of gearing up for a potential playoff appearance, the Bulls are once again on the outside looking in. “I'm not upset or spiteful about things that happened," LaVine said Monday. “I just know that we have to work on things and get better at them. We are a good team, and this season made us better.” The Bulls finished 11th in the Eastern Conference at 31-41, two games behind Charlotte for the final play-in spot and out of the postseason for the fourth straight year. They think they are on the right track after their first year with Arturas Karnisovas leading the basketball operation and Billy Donovan coaching them. But they're also frustrated. “I'm optimistic because I know that each player is disappointed with the season, and I want them to go into the offseason feeling that way and remember what it feels like,” said Karnisovas,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls acquired an All-Star center and sent a loud message to the rest of the NBA with one blockbuster trade. They're serious about becoming a contender. And they're ready to welcome top free agents. The Bulls pulled off their first major trade since Arturas Karnisovas was hired to lead their basketball operation last spring by acquiring two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando prior to Thursday's deadline. They also added Al-Farouq Aminu in the deal and sent Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two future first-round selections with certain lottery protections to the Magic. “We're trying to improve our team,” Karnisovas said. “That was an opportunity. You don't get so many opportunities to improve with players like that. I think we've done pretty well today." Vucevic is averaging a career-best 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in his 10th NBA season and ninth in Orlando. He has two full seasons remaining after this one on the four-year, $100 million... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss two to four weeks because of a sprained right shoulder, another setback for a 7-footer off to his best start as a pro. The Bulls said Monday an MRI confirmed he has a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Markkanen was hurt Friday at Orlando when he was fouled by Magic forward Gary Clark early in the third quarter. The Bulls were scheduled to host Washington on Monday. Coach Billy Donovan described the injury as a “bit freakish” with Markkanen “driving to the basket, being physical.” Markkanen is averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds coming off a disappointing season. He is shooting 51% overall and about 40% on 3-pointers — both personal bests. Markkanen had back-to-back outings with 30 or more points against Portland and New York on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. He missed seven consecutive games early in the season because of COVID-19 protocols. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Markkanen has not played in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss two to four weeks because of a sprained right shoulder. The Bulls said Monday an MRI confirmed he has a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Markkanen was hurt Friday at Orlando when he was fouled by Magic forward Gary Clark early in the third quarter. Markkanen is averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds coming off a disappointing season. He is shooting 51% overall and about 40% on 3-pointers — both personal bests. Markkanen had back-to-back games with 30 or more points against Portland and New York on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. He missed seven consecutive games early in the season because of COVID-19 protocols. The Bulls were scheduled to host Washington on Monday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Chicago Bulls players are in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and are not available for Thursday’s game with the Washington Wizards. Forwards Lauri Markkanen, the team’s second leading scorer and top rebounder and Chandler Hutchison and guards Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky have been ruled out. “You’ve got to stay flexible,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “A lot of different things can happen. You’ve got to be able to handle them. Obviously, a lot for us to digest and deal with going into this game.” The Bulls play at Milwaukee on Friday night, and Donovan expects his team to be short-handed again. “My guess is yes, it’s going to go on here for a period of time,” Donovan said. “How long, I’m really unsure of that. I think daily testing helps bring some clarity where guys are at. I don’t know how long it will be, but I think it will be some time.” Markkanen was already questionable for the game with a left calf injury. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls weren't on Billy Donovan's radar when he and the Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways after five successful seasons. Things sure changed in a hurry. “I wasn’t looking at anything," Donovan said. "It was five great years in Oklahoma City. I think it’s always emotional when you leave a place that you enjoyed working with the people you were working with. I was around some terrific people in the organization, tremendous players. You’re just kind of decompressing. So this kind of came out of left field for me.” The Bulls introduced Donovan as their coach on Thursday, two days after they announced they landed arguably the most attractive candidate on the market to help turn around a struggling team with new management. Donovan goes from working with stars such as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Paul George and Chris Paul to trying to lift a franchise with one playoff appearance in five seasons. He was 243-157 with the Thunder and led them to the playoffs... [More]

Months after the world was reminded of the best run in Chicago Bulls history, the franchise closed a chapter on one of its worst.The Chicago Bulls fired coach Jim Boylen on Friday as the new front office begins its remake of a team that missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years — — a tough stretch for a franchise whose dominance in the 1990s was chronicled in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance.”The Bulls finished 22-43 this season and were one of the eight teams that didn't qualify for the NBA's restart at Walt Disney World, where the playoffs begin next week. The move was hardly a surprise. Only Tim Floyd (.205) had a lower winning percentage than Boylen (.317) in franchise history.“This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” said rturas Karnisovas, the team's new executive vice president of basketball operations. “Jim is a great human being that cares deeply... [More]

The Chicago Bulls fired coach Jim Boylen on Friday, the new front office beginning its remake of a team that missed the playoffs again. The Bulls, who finished 22-43 this season, were one of the eight teams that didn't qualify for the NBA's restart at Walt Disney World. That meant they wouldn't make the postseason for the fourth time in five years — a tough stretch for a franchise whose dominance in the 1990s was chronicled in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance.”The move was hardly a surprise. Only Tim Floyd (.205) had a lower winning percentage than Boylen (.317) in franchise history.“This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” Karnisovas said in a statement. “Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organization and the game of basketball.”A longtime NBA assistant, Boylen got his first head coaching job in the league in December 2018 when the Bulls fired... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls' new top basketball executive wasn't ready to make any announcements about the coaching staff on Saturday.Arturas Karnisovas still has not met in person with head coach Jim Boylen. And that's something he would like to do before going public with any decisions.Boylen's future is the biggest issue hanging over the Bulls, who were left out when the NBA’s Board of Governors approved a 22-team format to restart the pandemic-interrupted season next month in Orlando. Chicago has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, a tough stretch for a franchise whose dominance in the 1990s was chronicled in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance.”The Bulls overhauled their front office when they hired Karnisovas as executive vice president of basketball operations in April and Marc Eversley as general manager a few weeks later.Boylen remains on the job. But for how much longer?“I haven't met face to face yet,” Karnisovas said during a conference call. “There haven't... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have hired Philadelphia 76ers executive Marc Eversley to replace the fired Gar Forman as general manager and work under new top basketball executive Arturas Karnisovas, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move hadn't been announced. ESPN first reported the hiring.Eversley, a Canadian, becomes the Bulls' first black general manager after four years in Philadelphia's front office — the past two as senior vice president of player personnel. He spent a decade at Nike, managing company-owned retail stores in Ontario before moving to their corporate office in Oregon and becoming the point person for their basketball player relationship division. He then worked in Toronto's front office for seven years and Washington's for three before joining the 76ers.Eversley had a big hand in Philadelphia trading up with Boston to get Matisse Thybulle with the No. 20 overall pick in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have hired Philadelphia 76ers executive Marc Eversley to replace the fired Gar Forman as general manager and work under new top basketball executive Arturas Karnisovas, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move hadn't been announced. ESPN first reported the hiring.Eversley, a Canadian, becomes the Bulls' first black general manager after four years in Philadelphia's front office — the past two as senior vice president of player personnel. He spent a decade at Nike, managing company-owned retail stores in Ontario before moving to their corporate office in Oregon and becoming the point person for their basketball player relationship division. He then worked in Toronto's front office for seven years and Washington's for three before joining the 76ers.Eversley had a big hand in Philadelphia trading up with Boston to get Matisse Thybulle with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft last June.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss four to six weeks because of an injured right hip.The 7-footer from Finland had an MRI on Thursday after experiencing soreness in the hip for about a week.“It hasn’t really gotten worse, but it’s been there for a couple of games," he said Friday. “We decided to get an MRI before we go on the road.”Markkanen is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds. He had appeared in all 46 games, though he played through a sprained left ankle the past three weeks. He initially wanted to try playing through the injury, which was termed an early stress reaction.“I really wanted to play, but at the same time I had to take a step back and think about what was smart," he said. The Bulls were 10th in the Eastern Conference at 17-29 entering Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss four to six weeks because of an injured right hip.The Bulls said Friday the 7-footer from Finland had an MRI a day earlier.Markkanen is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds. He had appeared in all 46 games, though he played through a sprained left ankle the past three weeks.The Bulls were 10th in the Eastern Conference at 17-29 entering Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Jazz answered a big run with one of their own and withstood a final push down the stretch to walk away with another victory. Those are adding up for Utah.Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and the surging Jazz held off the Chicago Bulls 102-98 on Thursday night.The Jazz went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter to grab a nine-point lead and emerged with their 10th win in 12 games after Chicago tied it in the closing minutes.Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each scored 17 for Utah. Mitchell hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and Gobert had 12 rebounds. The Jazz also got big contributions from their bench, with their reserves outscoring the Bulls' 36-23.“Everybody did a little something in a given time to help us win the game," coach Quin Snyder said. "And that's how you win on the road and that's how you win close games.”Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 18. Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls lost for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and the surging Utah Jazz held off the Chicago Bulls 102-98 on Thursday night.The Jazz went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter to grab a nine-point lead and came away with their 10th win in 12 games after Chicago tied it in the closing minutes.Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each scored 17 for Utah. Mitchell hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and Gobert had 12 rebounds.Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 18. Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 13 rebounds but the Bulls lost for the third time in four games.The Jazz led 96-88 in the closing minutes before Chicago scored eight straight, tying it on LaVine's 3 with 1:43 remaining. Bogdanovic hit two free throws and Gobert drove for a dunk to make it a four-point game, before Carter made two free throws for Chicago with 47 seconds remaining.After Mitchell missed a 3, LaVine missed on a wild drive. The Jazz got the rebound, and Mitchell hit two free... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Terrence Ross made some shots and his Orlando teammates blocked a bunch of them.Ross scored a season-high 26 points Monday night and the Magic rejected 13 shots to break a three-game losing streak with a 103-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls.Mo Bamba came off the bench to block four shots, and Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon blocked three apiece.“That's who we have to be,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We're long, we have size, we have versatility. “The other guys did great things, but without (Ross), we would have been playing from eight, 10 behind there in the third quarter. He kept us in the game and made shot after shot.” Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points on 8-of-26 shooting, but the Bulls managed only 14 points in the fourth quarter. Tomas Satoransky added 20 points and was 4 of 5 on 3-point shots.“It's very difficult to win a road game when you have 17 turnovers and they have 13 blocks,” Bulls coach Jim Boylen said.Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and seven... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Terrence Ross scored a season-high 26 points Monday night to help the Orlando Magic break a three-game losing streak with a 103-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls.Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points on 8-of-26 shooting, but the Bulls managed only 14 points in the fourth quarter. Tomas Satoransky added 20 points and was 4 of 5 on 3-point shots.Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and seven rebounds for Orlando, which blocked 13 shots and held the Bulls to 31 percent shooting in the second half. Jonathan Isaac finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks.Ross, who made six 3-pointers, hit a short jumper and a 3-pointer on a 7-0 Magic run early in the fourth quarter to put Orlando ahead to stay.With LaVine hitting two free throws and a 3-pointer, the Bulls scored the first nine points of the game.Lauri Markkanen and LaVine made two 3-pointers apiece in the last 4:15 of the first half to leave Chicago with a 54-51 lead at the break.TIP-INSBulls:... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]