ALEX CARUSO

The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered from a bumpy beginning and rediscovered their championship form in plenty of time to dispose of the Chicago Bulls in their opening-round series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds and the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks routed the Chicago Bulls 116-100 on Wednesday night to finish off the first-round series in five games.

Bucks Bulls Basketball Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jevon Carter, left, and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo during the first half of Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Friday, April 22, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — The Chicago Bulls won’t have guards Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso available Wednesday night when they try to keep their season alive in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks. LaVine is in the NBA's health and safety protocols while Caruso is in concussion protocols. Milwaukee won 111-81 in Game 3 and 119-95 in Game 4. Caruso left Game 4 after taking an inadvertent hit to the face from Bucks guard Jevon Carter.

The Chicago Bulls won’t have guards Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso available when they try to keep their season alive in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

Grayson Allen made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls 111-81 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series without the injured Khris Middleton.

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points for his career playoff high and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday to tie their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Bulls Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo tries to get past Chicago Bulls' Patrick Williams during the first half of Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 17, 2022, in Milwaukee . The Bucks have won 17 of their last 18 meetings with the Bulls, including all five matchups this season. The Bulls’ lone victory during this stretch came in the 2020-21 regular-season finale when the Bucks rested all their starters. Brook Lopez scored 18 points, Holiday had 15, Khris Middleton had 11 and Bobby Portis added 10. The Bulls cut the lead to 87-86 on Alex Caruso's layup with 1:36 left, but they wouldn’t score again.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

The Los Angeles Lakers have fired Frank Vogel.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 126-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Joel Embiid had 43 points and 14 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-106 in a showdown between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams headed in opposite directions.

Bulls Heat Basketball Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent (2) and forward Caleb Martin (16) pressure Chicago Bulls center DeMar DeRozan (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier)MIAMI — (AP) — Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro each scored 20 points, and the Miami Heat improved their standing atop the Eastern Conference by topping the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Monday night. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 22 points, while Ayo Dosunmu had 18 and Nikola Vucevic added 14 for Chicago. And the Heat are now 3-0 against Chicago, ensuring Miami would hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulls if one is needed to determine seeding. Heat: Miami is 41-21.

Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro each scored 20 points, and the Miami Heat improved their standing atop the Eastern Conference by topping the Chicago Bulls 112-99.

Ja Morant scored a franchise-record 46 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies hung on to beat DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls 116-110.

"Might want to sit this one out," said Bogut on Twitter to Stoudemire. Bogut was fouled by Stoudemire in 2010.

Moritz Wagner scored 23 points, younger brother Franz Wagner added 18 and the Orlando Magic defeated the short-handed Chicago Bulls 114-95 on Sunday.

Bulls Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks' Grayson Allen fouls Chicago Bulls' Alex Caruso during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)CHICAGO — (AP) — Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso will have surgery next week to repair his broken right wrist after he was taken down by Grayson Allen during the third quarter of Friday night's 94-90 loss at Milwaukee. Caruso, who turns 28 on Feb. 28, is averaging 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 28 games in his first season with Chicago. Caruso was driving to the basket Friday night when a hard foul from Allen caused him to land on his right side. The play was originally ruled a common shooting foul, but it was upgraded to a flagrant 2 after a replay review.

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso will have surgery next week to repair his broken right wrist after he was taken down by Grayson Allen during the third quarter of Friday night’s 94-90 loss at Milwaukee.

Bulls Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks' Grayson Allen fouls Chicago Bulls' Alex Caruso during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan says the flagrant foul that resulted in Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen’s ejection Friday night could have caused a serious injury and merits a closer look from the NBA. Bulls guard Alex Caruso was driving to the basket midway through the third quarter when a hard foul from Allen caused him to land on his right side. And I really hope the league takes a hard look at something like that because (Allen) could have really, really seriously hurt him." “I thought it was a hard foul, for sure, but I thought it was a good, hard foul,” Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton said.

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan says the flagrant foul that resulted in Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen’s ejection could have caused a serious injury and merits a closer look from the NBA.

Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points, Stephen Curry added 19 and the Golden State Warriors rolled to their most lopsided win of the season, dominating the Chicago Bulls 138-96.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points, James Harden added 25 points and season-high 16 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets rolled to an easy win over Chicago, beating the Bulls 138-112 in a matchup between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams.

Zach LaVine scored 27 points, Coby White added 21 and the Chicago Bulls won their ninth straight game, beating the Washington Wizards 130-122.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and the Chicago Bulls won their eight straight game, beating the Orlando Magic 102-98.

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine added 26 in the Chicago Bulls’ 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Knicks Bulls Basketball New York Knicks center Taj Gibson, center, rebounds the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, left, and forward Troy Brown Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh)CHICAGO — (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 21 points, RJ Barrett added 20 and the New York Knicks hung on to hand the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season 104-103 on Thursday night. The Knicks had the edge in the second quarter, never lost the lead and were ahead 55-51 at the half. The Bulls narrowed New York's advantage to two points twice in the second quarter, but never caught up. Patrick Williams narrowed the Knicks’ lead to 57-56 with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter.

Kemba Walker scored 21 points, RJ Barrett added 20 and the New York Knicks hung on to hand the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season 104-103.

Russell Westbrook is realizing a childhood dream by coming home to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Carmelo Anthony realized the time was finally right to join forces with his friend LeBron James.

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James have long wanted to be on the same team.

The Los Angeles Lakers simply need a rest after two NBA seasons that felt like one relentless grind only interrupted by a ring ceremony.

Devin Booker scored 22 of his 47 points in a phenomenal first quarter, and the Phoenix Suns won their first playoff series since 2010, eliminating the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers with a 113-100 victory in Game 6.

Devin Booker scored 34 points, Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 16 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns won their first playoff game in 11 years, beating the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 99-90 in Game 1 on Sunday.

LeBron James made a long, go-ahead 3-pointer with 58.2 seconds remaining, rallying the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors in a Western Conference play-in tournament game.

LeBron James scored 25 points before he appeared to mildly aggravate a right ankle injury,and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the regular season with a 110-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Anthony Davis scored 28 points and LeBron James returned after a six-game absence to score 24 Saturday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 122-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Kyle Kuzma’s driving layup with 6.9 seconds remaining gave the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers a 124-122 victory over the Houston Rockets and kept the defending NBA champions' slim hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament alive.

Talen Horton-Tucker made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 21.1 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Lakers improved their hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament and prevented the New York Knicks from clinching a postseason berth with a 101-99 victory.

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Lakers Clippers Basketball Los Angeles Clippers' Paul George (13) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers' Alex Caruso (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Los Angeles. Chiu)LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Paul George led seven players in double figures with 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers routed a Lakers team minus LeBron James 118-94 on Thursday night, moving into the No. The Lakers outscored the Clippers 29-27 in the third, but couldn't make a serious dent in the deficit. Kuzma played part of fourth with the Lakers' second unit, which scored all of the team's 23 points in the period. UP NEXTLakers: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Paul George led seven players in double figures with 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers routed a Lakers team minus LeBron James 118-94 to move into the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

Anthony Davis scored 25 points and had key plays on both ends of the floor in the final minute as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

LeBron James scored 16 points in his return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup, but it wasn’t enough as the Sacramento Kings rallied for a 110-106 victory.

Dennis Schröder hit the tying basket to force overtime and finished with 25 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 127-115 in a game between short-handed teams.

The Boston Celtics blew most of a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding on for a 121-113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks in front of Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (7) and center James Wiseman during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, March 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)SAN FRANCISCO – LeBron James had a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, leading the injury-depleted Los Angeles Lakers past the Golden State Warriors 128-97 on Monday night. Stephen Curry scored 27 points with four 3-pointers and became the Warriors' franchise assists leader a day after his 33rd birthday and in his 12th NBA season. Warriors: Golden State hasn't beaten the Lakers at home since a 115-101 victory on Feb. 2, 2019 — so never at the second-year Chase Center. The Warriors wrapped up their eighth back-to-back this season and third of five playing consecutive days at home.

Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LOS ANGELES – Dario Šarić scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Mikal Bridges added 19 and the Phoenix Suns overcame Devin Booker's ejection for a 114-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. I feel it was a great road trip.”LeBron James scored 38 points for Los Angeles, which has lost five of seven with mounting injury problems. Dennis Schröder added 17 points, but the Lakers couldn't keep up without regulars Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma and Marc Gasol. “Our guys are giving great effort and great hustle and great fight.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in their first meeting against the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James scored 19 points in his 1,300th regular-season appearance as the Lakers routed the Warriors 117-91. He was one of six Los Angeles players to score in double figures in a game that was never in doubt. The Lakers were up 20 at the end of the first quarter and had a 73-44 lead at halftime. This is the first matchup between the teams this year after Los Angeles won all three games last season.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, tries to pass as Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. The Heat even kept it together to pull out a win over the defending NBA champions despite a fourth quarter that nearly went wrong. Nunn scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Miami held off the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94 Saturday night in an NBA Finals rematch. Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points while hitting four 3-pointers, and Montrezl Harrell had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. ... Goran Dragić missed his eighth straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, goes to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LOS ANGELES – Anthony Davis scored 35 points and LeBron James had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' seventh consecutive victory, 115-105 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Montrezl Harrell scored 14 points for Los Angeles, which extended its longest win streak in a year even after falling behind by 20 points in the first quarter. The Lakers had their fourth straight terrible start on their homestand, but they took their first lead late in the third quarter. Lakers: Alex Caruso had two points and six assists in his return from a two-game absence with a hand injury.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) takes the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (7) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – LeBron James hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and then broke up the Thunder's final possession in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth consecutive victory, 114-113 over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. James had 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who survived their third consecutive overtime game. OVERTIME FEATSThe Lakers became the seventh team in NBA history to win three consecutive overtime games. AdLos Angeles hadn't played three straight overtime games since 1991.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)LOS ANGELES – LeBron James scored eight of his 33 points in the second overtime, Anthony Davis added 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly avenged a loss in Detroit last month with a 135-129 victory over the undermanned Pistons on Saturday night. The Lakers committed a season-high 23 turnovers, blew a 17-point lead and wasted several chances to win in regulation. “There’s so many learning situations for young players and our guys to play against a great team like the Lakers. Lakers: Vogel got a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing about a blocking call on Marc Gasol.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is restrained by an official as he reacts to a fan in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. Anthony Davis scored 25 points and James dominated down the stretch as the Lakers held off the Atlanta Hawks 107-99 on Monday night. There was a socially distanced crowd of 1,341 for the lone Atlanta visit by the reigning NBA champions. Atlanta appeared to be taking control, ripping off eight straight points late in the third for a 76-70 lead. AdCARUSO'S ROLECaruso again had the best plus-minus rating on the Lakers, who outscored Atlanta by 13 points while he was the court.

San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, left, defends against Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – A trip to Los Angeles proved to be just what the San Antonio Spurs needed to snap out of an early-season slump. Two nights after beating the Clippers to snap a four-game losing streak, the Spurs picked up another win at Staples Center on Thursday, this time defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 118-109. ... Los Angeles was 43 of 86 from the floor, marking the first time in 36 games it has lost when shooting at least 50%. The Lakers scored 66 points in the paint, marking the second time this season they have scored at least 60 points inside.

James had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Davis added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers opened a two-game set in Memphis with a 108-94 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday night. “We were doing a lot of jostling with Memphis,” James said, “At the start of the fourth, I wanted to try and implement myself and my scoring a little bit more. After surrendering 36 points in the first quarter, the Lakers held the Grizzlies to 18, 21, and 19 over the final three periods. …G Alex Caruso missed his fourth game under the health and safety protocol. Gasol played 10-plus seasons with the Grizzlies.