Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic stuffed the stat sheet in the team's 128-114 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday. He finished just an assist shy of his first triple-double of the year as he compiled 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He also recorded two blocks and he hit a three-pointer. Vucevic has been struggling with his efficiency so far this year as he's shooting just 39.6% from the field and 30.0% from three-point land. Over his career, he has a 49.5% field goal percentage and a 35.6% three-point percentage. Still, he's averaging a double-double to go along with 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game so he's given fantasy managers a lot to like.

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic finally produced some good numbers on the offensive end Thursday night, going for 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting in a narrow loss to the Knicks. He was 3-for-5 from outside and 3-for-4 from the line, adding eight rebounds and six assists to his tally with one steal and zero turnovers in 36 minutes. Chicago has got a bunch of scorers and Vucevic hasn't been able to shine, but his efficiency has been on the up in recent games and better times might be ahead. The big Montenegrin has an intriguing matchup against Utah coming up next. He'll be battling with defensive specialist Rudy Gobert, but opposing centers have enjoyed their clashes with the Jazz this season, scoring 29.9 points per 48 minutes with 15.5 rebounds. Only Houston has allowed more points to centers this season.

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic returned to form in Saturday's 97-82 win over Detroit, scoring 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting and grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds. The two-time All-Star entered the contest after posting only 10 points and four boards against Jonas Valanciunas and New Orleans on Friday. Vucevic, who went 1-for-4 from deep, finished up his line on Saturday with three assists, three blocks, two steals and two turnovers. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Chi-Town and Vuc will find it hard to record another season with a 20-plus point average, but he's a major force on the glass and gets stuff done in other categories as well, which still makes him one of the best big men in fantasy basketball. He'll try to rock the Raptors next in a decent-looking matchup.

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic had a mixed-bag performance in Wednesday's season opener against the Detroit Pistons. He posted a solid double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds while also tallying four assists. However, he struggled significantly with his shot, going just 7-for-21 from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point range. The former Orlando Magic star is a fantasy gem who has routinely stuffed the stat sheet over the years. He played 36 minutes in Wednesday's game and should continue to see significant playing time while racking up sturdy points, rebounds and assists throughout the year.

Newly selected Basketball Hall of Famer Ben Wallace tapped his fist on the table a few times, then clapped his hands and pointed one finger skyward. After one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Detroit has something to celebrate. The Pistons won the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night, meaning they’ll have the No. 1 pick on July 29 — and, presumably, the chance to take Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham. “We get to add another young player to the restoration process,” Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said. “We’re excited to be in this position. But it means that we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re going to be diligent about it, but it always helps to be able to add a No. 1 pick from a talented group of players to choose from.” Houston — which basically had 50-50 odds of picking in the top four — got the No. 2 pick. Cleveland will pick No. 3 and Toronto will pick No. 4, after both of those franchises got some lottery luck to move up in the order. But the big winners were the... [More]

The Detroit Pistons did a lot of losing this season, finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA and the franchise's worst record in nearly 30 years. It paid off. The Pistons won the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night, grabbing the No. 1 pick in the July 29 draft and presumably the chance to select Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham. If the Pistons keep the pick, it'll be the first time they select No. 1 overall since taking Bob Lanier in 1970. Houston will pick second, Cleveland will pick third, and Toronto will pick fourth. Orlando will get the No. 5 and No. 8 selections, with Oklahoma City picking No. 6 and Golden State also with two lottery slots — No. 7, as part of a trade with Minnesota, and the Warriors' own pick at No. 14. The rest of the lottery results: Sacramento picks No. 9, New Orleans No. 10, Charlotte No. 11, San Antonio at No. 12, and Indiana at No. 13. The lottery — 14 ping-pong balls, all numbered 1 through 14, placed into a hopper — technically only determines... [More]

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) — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was a late scratch from the Milwaukee Bucks’ lineup with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference out of reach, and Khris Middleton missed the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls because of lingering soreness in his left ankle. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure the second seed. That locked Milwaukee into the third spot and a first-round matchup with Miami. And the Bucks opted to scratch Antetokounmpo and the rest of their starters. Milwaukee had already ruled out Middleton. The two-time All-Star missed his fourth game this season after scoring 21 points the previous night in a win over Miami. “We feel like if we can kind of get on top of it this 24, 48 hours, I think he’ll be in a great place heading into the week of prep and playoffs,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. The Bucks began the day a game behind Brooklyn for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They needed a win over the Bulls... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls because of lingering soreness in his left ankle. Middleton, averaging 20.4 points, was ruled out Sunday after scoring 21 points the previous night in a win over Miami. The two-time All-Star is missing his fourth game this season. “We feel like if we can kind of get on top of it this 24, 48 hours, I think he'll be in a great place heading into the week of prep and playoffs,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. The Bucks began the day a game behind Brooklyn for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They needed a win over the Bulls plus a loss by the Nets to the Cleveland Cavaliers to clinch the second seed. Otherwise, they would finish third in the East. Milwaukee had won three straight and eight of nine entering Sunday's matchup. The Bulls were missing their two best players with Zach LaVine sitting out his second consecutive game with tendinitis in his right knee and Nikola Vucevic held out because of nagging hip issues. Daniel Theis (sprained right hip), Tomas Satoransky (sprained left ankle) and Troy Brown Jr. (sprained left ankle) also were unavailable. Chicago was eliminated from contention for the play-in tournament Friday when Washington beat Cleveland. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls because of a sore left ankle. Middleton, averaging 20.4 points, was ruled out Sunday after scoring 21 points the previous night in a win over Miami. The two-time All-Star is missing his fourth game this season. The Bucks began the day a game behind Brooklyn for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They needed a win over the Bulls plus a loss by the Nets to the Cleveland Cavaliers to clinch the second seed. Otherwise, they would finish third in the East. Milwaukee had won three straight and eight of nine entering Sunday's game. The Bulls held out stars Zach LaVine (right knee tendinitis) and Nikola Vucevic (rest) as well as Daniel Theis (sprained right hip), Tomas Satoransky (sprained left ankle) and Troy Brown Jr. (sprained left ankle). Chicago was eliminated from contention for the play-in tournament Friday when Washington beat Cleveland. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics president Danny Ainge didn’t get everything he wanted at the trade deadline. He hopes it was at least the start of changing the tone inside his team’s locker room entering a pivotal stretch of the season. “I want our players to feel hope. I want our coach to feel hope. I sense some discouragement internally with our guys,” Ainge said Friday. “And so, that was one reason we did something now as opposed to waiting somewhere down the road.” What he did was send reserve point guard Jeff Teague and two future second-round draft picks to Orlando in exchange for 28-year-old Evan Fournier, a wing scorer and playmaker Ainge believes can take at least some pressure off Boston’s core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, and re-energize his team over the latter part of its schedule. Boston entered Friday at 21-23, having lost six of eight since returning from the All-Star break. The Celtics are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and in danger of missing the... [More]

The NBA called this season’s trade deadline the busiest in the last 35 years, with 46 players from 23 teams involved in 16 different deals. What’s unclear is how many of those deals will have an impact on this season. Face it: Some will not register much of a blip. Brad Wanamaker getting moved to Charlotte by Golden State for a draft pick that will probably never change hands, that’s not exactly swinging a balance of power. Same goes for the Warriors sending Marquese Chriss to San Antonio, and Toronto trading Matt Thomas to Utah and Terence Davis to Sacramento — getting second-round picks back in both cases. Those Raptors moves were almost certainly made to clear roster spots for a Kyle Lowry trade that never happened. And it says something about the busiest trade deadline in 35 years when the biggest news of the day was a trade that didn’t happen, in Lowry’s case. That said, there were some moves that have potential to affect the postseason races. Here are some of the teams that benefited... [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]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. Vucevic is the only player from this season's All-Star Game to be traded at the deadline. It was a steep price; Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu went to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. The Magic traded three of their four leading scorers; in addition to the Vucevic move, Evan Fournier was sent to Boston and Aaron Gordon is headed to Denver. Acquiring Gordon was... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — considered perhaps the biggest prize who was on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, and wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. That move didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included a pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

Evan Fournier is being traded by the Orlando Magic to the Boston Celtics for a pair of second-round draft picks, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The Celtics were able to take on Fournier's salary by using part of the trade exception that they created last year in the move that sent Gordon Hayward to Charlotte, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was still pending NBA approval. Fournier is averaging career highs of 19.7 points and 3.7 assists this season for the Magic, who turned trade-deadline day in the NBA into the start of their rebuild. Orlando also struck a deal earlier Thursday with Chicago to send All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls. Vucevic and Fournier were Orlando's two leading scorers this season. Fournier gives the Celtics added wing depth and another ballhandler. The Celtics started Thursday eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 21-23 record, well below their expectations coming into the season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic is being traded from the Orlando Magic to the Chicago Bulls, a person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday. Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu are going to the Bulls in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round selections, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was still pending NBA approval. The deal would appear to be the start of a rebuild for the Magic, with Vucevic unquestionably the team's best player for the past several seasons. The two-time All-Star is averaging a career-best 24.5 points this season and 11.8 rebounds. He also has two full seasons left after this one on his contract, a four-year, $100 million deal signed in 2019. Vucevic is in his 10th NBA season, the last nine of which have been with the Magic. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports