LONZO BALL

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.

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.

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.

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 50 points and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 135-130 in overtime.

Devin Booker scored 28 points and the Phoenix Suns moved closer to wrapping up the NBA’s best regular-season record, routing the Chicago Bulls 129-102 on Friday night.

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.

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.

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.

Nets Bulls Basketball Chicago Bulls' Lonzo Ball (2) blocks the shot of Brooklyn Nets' Blake Griffin (2) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (Charles Rex Arbogast)CHICAGO — (AP) — Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out six to eight weeks, the team announced Thursday. Ball had the same knee scoped in 2018 when he was with the Lakers. With Ball out and star Zach LaVine (sore left knee) sidelined, the Bulls are leaning more on Coby White and rookie Ayo Dosunmu. ___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The Chicago Bulls say guard Lonzo Ball will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

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

“You expect the unexpected,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. Such is the norm around the NBA right now, after yet another day of adding more names to the health and safety protocols list. The numbers may continue to rise, now that the league's expanded testing for players who have not received booster shots started on Sunday and will continue into early January. “We haven’t done a thing since our last game,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said about 90 minutes before tip-off. Memphis saw its protocols list grow to five on Sunday.

The NBA's virus numbers continue to rise.

DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points after missing two weeks in the NBA’s health and safety protocols to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine had added 26 in the Chicago Bulls' 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. DeRozan kept it up after halftime, following up his 35-point effort against the Clippers with another dominant night on his hometown floor. “Every night you’ve got to find some type of extra motivation,” said DeRozan, a Compton native. Anthony Davis had 20 points and six rebounds before getting ejected by referee Scott Wall with 2:20 left in the third quarter. ... Los Angeles played 12 of its first 15 games at home, but will play five road games in eight days before Thanksgiving.

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.

Stephen Curry scored 40 points with nine 3-pointers as his old college coach from Davidson cheered him on, Draymond Green delivered another all-around effort, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago Bulls 119-93 for their seventh straight win.

Adam Silver, the basketball fan, would prefer to see Kyrie Irving on the court again with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.

The Chicago Bulls made another major upgrade to their roster, acquiring high-scoring DeRozan a day after adding point guard Lonzo Ball. He sees a team poised to make a jump, and that explains why the Chicago Bulls were an attractive destination. The Bulls are banking on DeRozan and Ball to help them get there after making big moves to acquire the two in separate sign-and-trade deals. The Bulls gave Ball, a restricted free agent, $85 million over four years. DeRozan insisted the Bulls will see an even better version of LaVine because of his Olympic experience.

DeMar DeRozan sees big potential for the Chicago Bulls.

Point guards were the immediate focus when the NBA’s free agency window opened Monday night, with Kyle Lowry headed to the Miami Heat, Lonzo Ball on his way to the Chicago Bulls while Chris Paul and Mike Conley landed lucrative deals to remain with their current teams.

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.

Warriors Pelicans Basketball Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) goes to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans center Willy Hernangomez (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, May 3, 2021. The Warriors, who currently occupy a Western Conference play-in position, moved four games ahead of 11th-place New Orleans with seven games remaining. Andrew Wiggins added 26 points for Golden State, with 10 coming in a key stretch early in the fourth quarter. Wiggins scored Golden State's first 10 points of the final period, hitting a pair of 3s and a leaning, left-handed layup before tumbling across the baseline. Committed 17 turnovers, leading to 29 Warriors points.

The Golden State Warriors took a big step toward locking up a postseason berth with a 123-108 victory over the desperate New Orleans Pelicans.

Zion Williamson scored 23 points in 23 minutes in his first game against Orlando, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Magic 135-100 on Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Julius Randle had 33 points and 10 assists, Derrick Rose made huge plays all over the court to spark New York’s streak-saving finish and the Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-112 in overtime for their sixth consecutive victory.

Kevin Durant returned from a 23-game absence to spark Brooklyn’s most explosive half of the season, finishing with 17 points and perfect shooting in the Nets’ 139-111 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Terrence Ross hit two key jumpers late in overtime, Wendell Carter III scored 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 115-110.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell (15) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Ingram scored a season-high 36 points, Williamson had 27 points and nine rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Lakers 128-111 on Tuesday night. “We had a stretch in the second quarter where we hit a big drop, which really hurt us in this game,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. AdThe Lakers never got within single digits in the second half and trailed by as many as 30. Pelicans: Starting point guard Lonzo Ball missed his second straight game with a strained right hip flexor.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket over Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang, left, and center Rudy Gobert, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, March 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)NEW ORLEANS – Zion Williamson had 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and the New Orleans Pelicans held off a late Utah charge to beat the NBA-leading Jazz 129-124 on Monday night. Williamson scored 15 points and added a pair of assists in the quarter. ... Utah had its highest scoring second quarter of the season with 41 points ... Utah shot 45.5% (46 of 101), including 17 of 43 from 3-point range. Pelicans: Hart scored 13 points to go with seven rebounds.

Doncic scored a career-high 46 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 36 and the Mavericks overcame Williamson's career-best 36 points in a 143-130 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. The Mavericks matched their season best with a fourth consecutive victory and beat the Pelicans for the fifth straight time. The Pelicans gave up a franchise-record 25 3-pointers for the second consecutive game. Mavericks: Dallas finished above 50% shooting for the third consecutive game while improving to 7-0 when scoring at least 120 points. AdMORE HISTORY FOR DONCICDoncic tied a franchise record shared by Mark Aguirre (1983-84) and Dirk Nowitzki (2005-06) with his 13th consecutive game of at least 25 points.

Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine dunks past New Orleans Pelicans' Lonzo Ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Chicago. LaVine scored a season-high 46 points, hitting nine of Chicago's franchise-record 25 3-pointers, and the Bulls cooled off the New Orleans Pelicans with a 129-116 victory Wednesday. LaVine and White became the first duo in NBA history to make at least eight 3s apiece in the same game, according to STATS. “We (were) due for a good team shooting night,” White said. Zion Williamson had 29 points for New Orleans, and Brandon Ingram finished with 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, left, goes to the basket as New Orleans Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and seven rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans 118-102 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and reserve Joe Ingles scored 15 points. The Jazz disrupted shots, crashed the boards, and sprinted up the court on numerous possessions to stay a step ahead of the Pelicans. … New Orleans scored 22 points off 14 Jazz turnovers.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder center Al Horford (42) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Derick Hingle)CHARLOTTE, N.C. – LaMelo Ball grew up playing 3-on-3 games against his older brother Lonzo on a concrete court in the backyard of their parents’ home in Chino Hills, California. It was something you had to witness for real.”That is where the Ball brothers learned to compete — and first dreamed of playing in the NBA. But the battle of the Ball brothers is one of the most high-profile sibling matchups ever. While they took different paths — Lonzo went to play at UCLA while LaMelo went overseas to play professionally — Lonzo was the No.

Van Gundy agreed to a four-year contract, according to one of the people who spoke Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the hiring has not been announced. Van Gundy has a track record of bridging that gap between knowledge and talent with younger players in his previous coaching stops. “There is a lot of teaching to do to bring these guys along,” Van Gundy said Tuesday during a formal introduction via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Pelicans, Van Gundy said, he saw ownership that had won a championship in a major professional sport, even if it was the NFL. Van Gundy called Williamson and Ingram “two of the most unique young guys in the entire league.”“There's just a lot to build around there,” he added.

A win by the Trail Blazers over Philadelphia would eliminate New Orleans from postseason consideration. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry called it a Game 7-type game beforehand but stayed with the plan of playing Williamson in short bursts. In the fourth, Gentry took Williamson out with 6:53 left, putting him back in for the last-ditch try about two minutes later. Williamson scored the next eight points by himself, kick-starting what became a 28-12 run by the Pelicans to end the quarter. DeRozan scored inside on the next San Antonio possession, and a late 8-0 spurt by the Spurs sealed the deal.

The Kings shot 54%. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 24 points for the Pelicans. JJ Redick scored 18 points and Jrue Holiday added 17 for the Pelicans, who shot 57%. The Kings pulled even with the Pelicans in the standings and now are 2 1/2 games behind eighth-place Memphis with four games remaining. Kings: Shot 78% in the first quarter.

Williamson had 23 points, seven rebounds and tied a career high with five assists in his most extensive playing time since returning to the NBA bubble. Williamson drove the lane in the third quarter and landed awkwardly, losing his left shoe. However, the big man quickly put the shoe back on and remained in the game. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 22 points for the Grizzlies, who fell to 0-3 since the NBA restart. Pelicans: Play Sacramento on Thursday.

He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball. But Williamson checked out for good with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter and watched the tense finish from the sideline. Thats all it is.Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Utah and helped lead a second-half comeback, while Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley each added 20. When Jordan has space on the floor to work, hes really difficult to guard," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. The Jazz went 8 of 34 from 3-point range but scored 54 points in the paint and went 24 of 28 on foul shots.

Zion Williamson returned to New Orleans Pelicans practice for the first time in nearly two weeks on Tuesday night and coach Alvin Gentry said the NBAs top overall draft pick might play when the club resumes its season against Utah on Thursday night. If hes ready to play, hell play. So well see and evaluate tomorrow where he is the medical people will and so will Zion. That kept the Pelicans hopeful that hed be able to get ready to play quickly when he returned from a family matter that he has kept private. The Pelicans are 3 1/2 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

(AP Photo/John Raoux, File)After four months of waiting and planning, the NBA bubble is ready to be tested. The first six teams Brooklyn, Denver, Orlando, Phoenix, Utah and Washington are scheduled to arrive Tuesday at the Disney complex. Another eight teams arrive Wednesday, the last eight arrive Thursday, and with that training camps will be on the cusp of beginning. If the plan works, all teams will be at Disney for at least 5-1/2 weeks and some teams will be there for more than three months. But once the games start, theyre every other day, I think the players will be fine.

FILE - In this March 4, 2020, file photo, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson shoots free throws prior to an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas. Pelicans rookie Williamson says he feels like he is in good shape as he prepares to help lead New Orleans' eight-game push to make the NBA playoffs. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)NEW ORLEANS Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson credits his mothers wisdom with helping him manage lifes unanticipated twists and inevitable assortment of successes and setbacks. The last 12 months have been a different experience, Williamson said Thursday, projecting his typically affable, smiling, easy-going manner during a video conference at the New Orleans Pelicans practice headquarters. Williamson was praised by teammates and coaches for an unselfishness that has allowed other players like Pelicans leading scorer Brandon Ingram to continue to flourish.