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Bulls

In terms of their title-contending window, the Memphis Grizzlies are perhaps in the best position of any team in the NBA.
The fact is that Memphis forced their window open a few years earlier than anyone would have anticipated. The oldest guys on the current roster are Steven Adams and Kyle Anderson, both 28 years of age. At the start of the 2022-23 season, the top three players for the Grizzlies will be 24 years old (Desmond Bane) and 23 years old (Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.). The team with the second-best record in the league has a core that has not even scratched its prime.
Memphis is here, and with Morant likely to be locked up through 2027, this franchise will be competitive for quite a while. And moving ahead, recently named 2022 NBA Executive of the Year Zach Kleiman is now tasked with some decisions for Memphis to continue on this fast-rising arc.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s definitely a lot to be said about core continuity,&rdquo; Kleiman <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/article/28749/zach-kleiman-named-nba-executive-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently told Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>. &ldquo;We are not going to have any issue paying anyone who we want to pay. There is not going to be any issue with retention here. I&rsquo;m very grateful, and we wouldn&rsquo;t be in this spot without (Grizzlies owner) Robert [Pera]&rsquo;s vision and support and commitment on that end. We are not worried about small-market notions or this or that. We are not going to have any issue whatsoever keeping together who we want as we continue to prioritize continuity.&rdquo;
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There a few names that come to play in regards to "retention." Heading into this offseason, Tyus Jones, Jarrett Culver and Anderson will all be entering unrestricted <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free agency</a>. The Grizzlies were able to steal Jones and Anderson from their respective teams during their restricted-free-agency summers, but now the question is whether they will retain either of them this offseason.
There should be little to no argument that Jones is the best backup point guard in the NBA. His steady play and care of the ball played a major role in the Grizzlies winning the way they did this season, even when Morant went down with injury. In his exit interview, Jones told reporters that, while he does desire to be a starting point guard, he "loves the organization and playing with this team."
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Paying Tyus starter money to back up Morant is like paying for an expensive insurance policy. You may never get your money's worth, but when you need it in an emergency situation, you are sure glad you have it. With Ja's style of play, having Jones on the roster seems like the most valuable potential signing Memphis could have this summer. They could front load the contract to make the money work long-term, and then draft another point guard to be ready by the end of Jones' next deal.&nbsp;
Anderson, while more likely to return than Culver, has probably played his last game in a Memphis uniform. His veteran presence was important in the playoffs this season, but his inability to shoot leaves Memphis looking for an upgrade. Anderson is a holdover from the Chris Wallace regime, and though he has been a cultural fit in the locker room, it may be time to move on.
Adams, Dillon Brooks and Killian Tillie will all be on expiring deals worth over $30 million combined going into next season, and both Morant and Brandon Clarke are eligibile for their rookie-scale extensions. While Morant will get a max offer the second he is eligible, the decision on Clarke will loom large this summer. Memphis would do well to avoid restricted free agency in 2023 with the springy forward, and should look at a four-year, $50 million dollar extension as the ceiling for him.&nbsp;
With a pair of first-round picks and enough expiring money and cap space heading into the 2022 NBA Draft, will Memphis make a splash? The free-agent market is not enticing enough for them to sign anyone &mdash; especially considering they are going to have to pay Bane soon as well. A reunion with Delon Wright seems to be the best option if Memphis were to lose the Jones sweepstakes. Don't expect the Grizz to put their name in the hat for Zach Lavine this summer either.&nbsp;
Could Memphis pry Pascal Siakam away from Toronto for a package of Adams, Brooks and three first-round draft picks? Or perhaps Utah is open for business and there is a similar package, plus De'Anthony Melton, for Donovan Mitchell. A simpler upgrade for the Grizz could be Brooks and a pick for Bojan Bogdanovic, a veteran shooting presence Memphis needs.&nbsp;
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The Grizzlies' summer will be unpredictable. On one hand, they could be completely silent, doing nothing crazy and opt to run it back. On the other, they could swing for it, seeing their window open before Morant hits his first max contract.
Another big storyline for them will be the development of Ziaire Williams at NBA Summer League. The previous season, Bane went from a low-usage rookie to a summer-league standout to receiving a Third Team All-NBA vote. Williams is on the Bane plan, and if he were to breakout in a similar way, that is a massive development for the Grizzlies' title aspirations.
No matter what Memphis does this summer, the organization is ahead of schedule. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane make up one of the most lethal trios in the league, and they are just getting started.
The Grizzlies do not care if you believe in them. They believe in themselves, and are going to be in the thick of it for years to come.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis takes a look at the upcoming decisions the Grizzlies have to make in free agency and with their own roster this summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Memphis Grizzlies?

Zach LaVine is an unrestricted free agent and he has made it clear that he'll weigh all of his options this offseason. If LaVine decides to move on from the Chicago Bulls, which teams make the most sense as a landing spot for the 27-year-old All-Star?
Oddsmakers from <a href="http://www.BetOnline.ag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetOnline</a> have given the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers the best odds of landing LaVine if he decides to leave the Bulls.
Here are the complete odds (without factoring in a potential return to Chicago):
<table style="font-weight: 400;" width="283">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
San Antonio Spurs
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
2/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Portland Trail Blazers
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
3/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Los Angeles Lakers
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
4/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Atlanta Hawks
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
5/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
New York Knicks
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
6/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Miami Heat
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
7/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Indiana Pacers
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
8/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Detroit Pistons
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
9/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Dallas Mavericks
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
10/1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 203.2px;" width="215">
Orlando Magic
</td>
<td style="width: 51.2px;" width="53">
11/1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Last offseason, LaVine bet on himself rather than signing a four-year, $105 million extension and the gamble certainly paid off. This season, he averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 made threes while shooting 38.9% from downtown and a career-high 85.3% from the free-throw line.
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Free Agency page</a>, which features a ranking of the top 85 free agents and scouting reports for all of the notable players hitting the market.

If Zach LaVine decides to move from the Chicago Bulls, which teams make the most sense as a landing spot for the 27-year-old All-Star?

Spurs, Blazers, Lakers have best odds to steal Zach LaVine from Bulls

There is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/uncertain-future-of-deandre-ayton-becomes-top-topic-for-suns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Suns restricted free agent Deandre Ayton</a> heading into the offseason.&nbsp;
Last year, Phoenix decided not to offer Ayton the five-year, $170 million maximum contract that his representatives asked for. While there is a belief he will command that on the open market, the question is whether the Suns would match a max offer sheet. And if not, which team could land the center?
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036706-early-nba-free-agency-buzz-intel-on-deandre-ayton-zach-lavine-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">B/R's Jake Fischer is reporting</a> that the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers are teams who have been linked to Ayton the most. He adds that league executive believe the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs could also be in the running for him.
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036706-early-nba-free-agency-buzz-intel-on-deandre-ayton-zach-lavine-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fischer adds</a> that if a team offers Ayton a maximum contract as expected that "there is skepticism among league executives the Suns would match such a lucrative offer." Plus, there is a belief around the league that "Phoenix brass simply does not view Ayton, or any center, as a player worth greater than $30 million annually."
The Suns already have a hefty payroll with Chris Paul making roughly $30 million in each of the next two years, Devin Booker on a max deal and Mikal Bridges starting a four-year, $91 million contract that he signed last October.&nbsp;
The Suns could work out a sign-and-trade deal with the aforementioned teams, with the Spurs' Jakob Poeltl and the Blazers' free-agent center Jusuf Nurkic as possible replacements.

A new report lists Atlanta, Detroit and Portland among the suitors for Suns restricted free agent Deandre Ayton.

Fischer: Atlanta, Detroit, Portland among suitors for Deandre Ayton

For those who don't know, when I am not living the dream as an NBA writer at BasketballNews.com, I moonlight as a law school student at the venerable Michigan State University. (Sidebar: That&rsquo;s also where I got my undergraduate degree. We bleed green for life here, folks).
Over my first year of law school, I like to think I learned a thing or two. However, the bit of information I will rely upon the most as I continue my journey as an analyst is my experience with the argumentative technique of concessions.
Before we continue, a quick vocabulary lesson: The term concessions, as it pertains to argumentative literature, means:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-13-at-10-55-08-am_lg.png" alt="" width="562" height="370" />
*Source: SuperSummary.com
This technique is highly prevalent in legal arguments. It&rsquo;s basically the lawyer saying, &ldquo;Yeah, this, this and this may be in the opposition's favor, but my client should win because of this, this and this."
In legal situations, seldomly does one come across a fact pattern that 100% favors their client. There&rsquo;s almost always some small piece that they end up having to heed to their opponent. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean they lose because, in the law, you don&rsquo;t need a bulletproof case to win. You just need to present enough evidence to meet the standard of review necessary for victory in that jurisdiction.&nbsp;
In many ways, the NBA playoffs are like a legal argument. In order to advance, you don&rsquo;t need to best your adversary in every singular component of the game. You just need to beat them four times in a best-of-seven series.&nbsp;
Such conditions open the door to the possibility of concessions. In the NBA, teams are too damn good for one team to completely stymie all their sources of income, so teams need to strategically pick and choose which aspects they will hone in on stopping and what aspects they are willing to concede.&nbsp;
To further paint this illustration in your mind, let&rsquo;s go over some overarching examples of concessions in this year&rsquo;s playoffs.
No Middle For You
After DeMar DeRozan decided it was time to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and lit the Bucks up for 41 points in Game 2 of the first round, Milwaukee decided it was not going to let him get <a href="https://streamable.com/jnedo4">two feet in the paint</a> anymore.&nbsp;
So, the Bucks chose to turn to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/ice-f9ea7d7d7d51">ICE pick and roll coverage</a> on ballscreens featuring DeRozan and his co-star teammate, Zach LaVine.&nbsp;
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The hallmark feature of this alignment is that the point-of-attack defender forces the ball-handler to reject the screen and lures them towards the sideline, in the process hindering their quest for the interior.
Defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau is <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/29/nba-experts-break-down-strengths-of-knicks-tom-thibodeau/">often credited with popularizing this configuration</a>, but the coverage does come with an inherent fatal flaw.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll notice in the above plays that the player defending the screener has to sink back into a drop position, which helps protect the interior. But it leaves them vulnerable <a href="https://streamable.com/ac24oq">if the screener decides to pop out for a three-pointer</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks knew such a shot was a necessary evil in order to execute their gameplan, so they decided to concede this shot to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explaining-why-we-need-to-appreciate-screening-more">Bulls&rsquo; most prominent screener</a>, Nikola Vucevic.&nbsp;
To his credit, Vucevic has developed into a pretty solid outside shooter over the last couple of years, but this season he regressed to a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/202696/shots-dash">32.6% conversion rate on wide-open attempts</a>.&nbsp;
The Bucks were willing to surrender these open looks to Vucevic over having DeRozan and LaVine knife their way into the paint. They did the &ldquo;Yeah, but&rdquo; thing. Yeah, you&rsquo;re going to get open threes with Vucevic, but your two best players won&rsquo;t be able to collapse our defense with drives to the paint. Ultimately, this argument worked for Milwaukee, as they held the Bulls to a 91.1 offensive rating over the final three games of the series. For reference, the 1964 Boston Celtics posted a 90.9 offensive rating.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve also seen Dallas turn to this <a href="https://streamable.com/o9h6my">defensive philosophy</a> a little more against Phoenix, and it&rsquo;s contributed to their ability to claw their way back into that series.&nbsp;
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Can&rsquo;t Do it Alone
Although the sample size is small, Nikola Jokic experienced a dip in his usual assist rate and an increase in his field-goal attempts from the regular season to the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic Regular Season v. Postseason Stats (Per 100 Possessions)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 47.9111%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">Assists*</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">FGA Attempts*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Regular Season</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">11.6</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">26.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.2029%;">Playoffs</td>
<td style="width: 2.66546%;">8.4</td>
<td style="width: 9.80786%;">30.7</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Source: Basketball Reference
This change is a byproduct of the Warriors' decision to concede Jokic&rsquo;s individual scoring brilliance in order to mitigate the value of his playmaking.
Golden State did this by playing him straight up in most instances and largely avoiding sending a second defender to dig or stunt at the ball until they were certain he had built up the conviction to score.&nbsp;
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This (and Draymond&rsquo;s prodigious defensive abilities) helped the Warriors limit the amount of <a href="https://streamable.com/cln6xv">double team, kickout, swing, swing power play sequences</a> and forced his motley crew supporting cast to create advantages for themselves. Of course, the Nuggets couldn&rsquo;t manage to do this, and the jury reached a 4-to-1 verdict in favor of the Warriors.&nbsp;
Concessions Don&rsquo;t Always Work
There are plenty of times when an opponent miscalculates the depth of their opponent's powers and lets the wrong person burn them.&nbsp;
For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/show-f1461d61b8">hedge/blitz</a> ballscreens captained by Ja Morant, which means after the low man rotates over, they were conceding the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdILqIRFh0A">weakside corner skip pass</a> (please click this hyperlink, Manu is so cool, man).
In these spots, Coach Taylor Jenkins was wise to make sure that the person waiting in that corner was none other than <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-and-the-truth-about-the-nba-playoffs">Desmon Bane</a>.&nbsp;
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Bane eviscerated the Timberwolves to the tune of 23.5 points on 67.3% True Shooting, and in the end, many cite his contributions as one of the main reasons Minnesota couldn&rsquo;t pull off the Cinderella upset against Memphis.
In this round, the Grizzlies&rsquo; prerogative over the first three games of the series was to try and limit the Warriors' perimeter opportunities, which led to them getting absolutely throttled in the <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/05/nba-playoffs-how-the-golden-state-warriors-are-beating-the-memphis-grizzlies-at-their-own-game/">points in the paint battle</a>.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the Bucks&rsquo; decision to concede relatively open catch-and-shoot threes in order to let Brook Lopez and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> protect the paint led to the Celtics torching them from downtown in Game 2 (shooting 46.5% from three). This shooting forced the Bucks to switch from allowing more open catch-and-shoot threes to them forfeiting over more lightly-contested pull-ups (which the Celtics also figured out how to exploit in Game 5, but that&rsquo;s for a different article).&nbsp;
As we continue to project the outcomes of playoff series until we move to Mars (I am shagging back on Earth if that happens), it&rsquo;s important that we stop and ask ourselves a few questions: What is each team willing to concede to the other? What are the consequences that come with these concessions? And, most importantly, can they endure these consequences and put together a strong enough counterargument to warrant progressing to the next round?
Huh. Maybe law school isn&rsquo;t so bad after all.&nbsp;
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A big part of NBA Playoff success is practicing the art of making concessions, which some teams have quite well this postseason.

The NBA Playoffs and the art of concessions

Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine will undergo a scope procedure on his left knee in the coming weeks, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1524804151477157889" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine to undergo scope procedure on left knee in the coming weeks, sources say. Details: <a href="https://t.co/lViTnR8nVu">pic.twitter.com/lViTnR8nVu</a>
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1524804151477157889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The report says that the surgery will address a knee injury that LaVine was diagnosed with in January and he is expected to make a full recovery in advance of next season.
LaVine &mdash; who has been an All-Star in back-to-back seasons &ndash; helped lead the Bulls to the post-season for the first time in five seasons. He will now enter the offseason as one of the most coveted free agents available.

Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine will undergo a scope procedure on his left knee in the coming weeks

Shams: Bulls' Zach LaVine to have left knee scoped in coming weeks

Fresh off their first title in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks entered the season with a few questions.&nbsp;
There were big-picture unknowns surrounding the main cast. What would Giannis Antetokounmpo look like after getting the proverbial monkey off his back? Was it time to stop questioning Mike Budenholzer, who eventually finally found enough schematic answers en route to a title?
(If the latest episode of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a> is any indication, the answer to the Budenholzer question is a resounding "No.")
And then, there was one bubbling underneath the surface: How would the Bucks replace PJ Tucker?
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Tucker was an integral part to the Bucks' title run. He brought value offensively as a screener, and, while his percentages were below his norm, he still made timely shots from the corners. He hummed around the dunker spot and gave Milwaukee extra possessions on the glass &mdash; ask the Atlanta Hawks how the "Hide Trae Young on Tucker" strategy worked for them.
More importantly, Tucker brought the goods defensively. His value was two-fold. Even at his age, he was able to slither over screens, slide with stars in space and hold his own when bigger players attempted to post him up. The star assignments were almost exclusively his to take. And because he took on those assignments, guys like Giannis and Middleton didn't have to.
Tucker wasn't and isn't as important as those two, but his departure to the Miami Heat &mdash; what a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-tucker-the-ultimate-roll-player-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">season he's had</a> &mdash; left a bit of a void.
The Bucks added Semi Ojeleye over the summer in hopes he could provide similar impact. Maybe Thanasis Antetokounmpo, as the endless ball of energy he is, could be enough of an irritant in spurts.
Neither thing happened.
They eventually went back to the veteran well on Dec. 3, signing the well-traveled Wes Matthews to a deal. The thinking was clear: We need a guy who can defend tough matchups and hit enough shots on the other end to keep teams honest.
Fast forward to the postseason, and Matthews has done just that.&nbsp;
He's knocked down 44.1% of his threes on nearly 4 attempts this postseason. He's been a help-off-him point for defenses much like Tucker, but the two differ in their shot profiles. Over 80% of Tucker's threes came from the corners last postseason; only 41.2% of Matthews' triples have come in those pockets.
You can still stash him in the strong-side corner and dare teams to help off of him there. You can still space him in the weak-side corner, and have another player cut or set a pin-in screen to free him.
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But because Matthews is better at &mdash; and more willing to take &mdash; above-the-break threes, he's a little easier to move around the chessboard. He can also chill above the break, acting as the one-pass-away outlet on Giannis post-ups or isolations.
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Defensively, it's hard not to marvel at the job Matthews has done. This is a 35-year-old, who's suffered a torn Achilles in his career, graciously taking on assignments like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Despite being at a size disadvantage and athleticism disadvantage, Matthews has been able to hold his own. He's proven to be a high-level screen navigator at his big age, able to fight through picks and reattach to a star's hip to bother him. Even when he's hung up on a screen, he doesn't die. He finishes possessions with rearview contests, or at the very least funnels his man into Milwaukee's forest in the paint.&nbsp;
A drop-coverage scheme doesn't work without someone like Matthews. Asking any big man, no matter how good he is, to deal with elite scorers in space is typically unfair. Matthews is able to make life easier for his bigs, much like their size acts as a buffer in the event that Matthews gets beat.
It's been fun watching Matthews have to problem-solve in the first two rounds. He got the DeRozan match-up in Round 1, which meant dealing with the All-Star's superb footwork and herky-jerky style. Nikola Vucevic is one of the NBA's best screeners, so dealing with them in tandem is tough work.
Matthews had to fight over screens and duck under screens when Chicago went to its Double Drag looks. He had to ICE screens &mdash; attempting to keep the action on the sideline &mdash; while also worrying about DeRozan snaking picks and getting into the mid-range area. He's built the whole boat on mid-range buckets, so slowing him down is a lot easier said than done.
Yet, Matthews did a darn good job. He faced 104 picks while defending DeRozan in pick-and-roll, per Second Spectrum. The Bulls generated 0.66 points per posssession (PPP) on those trips &mdash; well&nbsp;below their regular-season mark (1.04 PPP).
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The expectation has changed a bit during the second round. He's gone from the guile and patience of DeRozan, to the more sudden and explosive natures of Tatum and Brown. It's been mostly Tatum, whose lack of comfort in the mid-range is countered by his willingness to pull from deep, as well as his downhill aggression.
But again, Matthews has mostly held his own. Possessions featuring Matthews defending a Tatum-led ball-screen have only generated 0.77 PPP. This may shock you, but that number is also below Boston's regular-season norms (1.00 PPP).
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Overall, Matthews has defended 195 on-ball picks &mdash; the fifth-highest mark of the postseason. He's one of 21 players to defend at least 100 of them. Of those 21 players, only two &mdash; Marcus Smart (119, 0.72 PPP) and Jae Crowder (115, 0.75 PPP) have allowed fewer points per possession on direct plays than Matthews (0.85 PPP).&nbsp;
Matthews is knocking down open shots from all over the floor. He's taking on star wing assignments so Giannis doesn't have to. He's also holding his own with said assignments.
Naturally, the Bucks are having a good time with Matthews on the floor.
In 259 minutes with Matthews on the floor, the Bucks have <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612749&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;PlayerIds=202083" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outscored opponents</a> by 8.4 points per 100 possessions. The defense is 2 points stingier with Matthews on the floor; the offense is almost 4 points better, thanks to pretty big gap in three-point shooting (37.6% with Matthews on, 30.7% with Matthews off).
In summation: Matthews deserves his flowers.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the two-way impact of Wes Matthews for the Bucks this postseason.

Wes Matthews' two-way play deserves your attention

Ever since Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas and Marc Eversley took over the Bulls&rsquo; front office two years ago, Chicago has been one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA. Their fingerprints are all over this roster, with notable acquisitions such as DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
These moves have translated to on-court success, as the Bulls posted their best winning percentage since the 2014-15 season and ended their four-year playoff drought. This year, Chicago was 46-36 &mdash; more wins than they had in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined. (Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only remaining players from that 2019-20 squad).
The Bulls entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while boasting the NBA's 11th-ranked offense (scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
While this season marked a step in the right direction, the Bulls&rsquo; first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks showed that there&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. Despite Milwaukee losing their second-best player, Khris Middleton, to a sprained MCL in Game 2, the Bucks completed a gentleman's sweep against the Bulls. Chicago wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either, with Ball sidelined due to a knee injury and LaVine (COVID-19) and Caruso (concussion) each missing Game 5. Still, the reigning champions were a good litmus test.
Entering the offseason, where does Chicago go from here? Are big changes coming?
RE-SIGNING ZACH LAVINE
Entering this offseason, Chicago&rsquo;s top priority should be re-signing LaVine, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has emerged as a perennial All-Star, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference squad in each of the last two seasons.&nbsp;
This year, LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 threes, while reducing his turnovers to 2.6 per game and shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.9% from three and 85.3% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.&nbsp;
The Bulls would be wise to re-sign their star shooting guard, as replacing his production would be difficult, and the team would certainly take a step back if LaVine signed elsewhere.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
In multiple interviews, LaVine has reiterated that he wants to be paid what he feels he deserves.
"I just want my respect. I think that's the main thing," LaVine <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/zach-lavine-prepares-olympic-quarterfinal-bulls-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last August. "I outplayed my contract; I've been very loyal to Chicago, I like Chicago. I just want my respect."
FREE AGENCY
Aside from LaVine, the bulk of Chicago's core is under contract for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;
The Bulls have $103,181,950 in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, spread across nine players: DeRozan, Vucevic, Lopez, Caruso, White, Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic. Projections set next year&rsquo;s salary cap at $122 million and the luxury tax at $149 million.
Derrick Jones Jr.,Tristan Thompson and Matt Thomas will be unrestricted free agents. Tony Bradley has a player option worth $2,036,318, so he could opt out and test the market as well.
The team will have three restricted free agents (assuming Chicago extends a qualifying offer to each): Troy Brown Jr. ($7,228,448 QO), Tyler Cook ($1,576,305) and Malcolm Hill ($1,576,305).
Last year, the Bulls were very aggressive in free agency, making splashy moves left and right. Given their cap situation, it seems unlikely that Chicago will be able to go star hunting, but they&rsquo;ll likely try to improve their depth and add certain specialists. For example, Chicago could use a rim protector, as they averaged just 4.0 blocks per game (which ranked 27th in the NBA). Can they afford Mitchell Robinson? Could they throw an offer sheet at or sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent like Nic Claxton or Mo Bamba? Can they add a veteran like JaVale McGee or Hassan Whiteside?&nbsp;
In addition to a rim protector, it would make sense to add other defensive reinforcements as well (especially if Jones signs elsewhere). Caruso and Ball give Chicago a strong defensive backcourt, but they need some help if the Bulls want to improve their 23rd-ranked defensive rating (113.2). Some of the top defensive role players who are hitting the market include Bruce Brown, Gary Payton II and PJ Tucker. Lu Dort and Jae'Sean Tate each have a team option, but it seems unlikely that either will be available given their bargain contracts.
The Bulls will look to add a contributor or two using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $10,349,000. Last offseason, that is how Chicago was able to sign Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal, which ended up being a terrific addition. Other players who signed for the non-taxpayer MLE last offseason include McGee (Phoenix Suns), Tucker (Miami Heat), Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks) and Khem Birch (Toronto Raptors).
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls do in free agency. However, keep in mind that some of Chicago&rsquo;s biggest additions in recent years were acquired through trades.
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TRADES
After watching the Bulls&rsquo; front office trade for Vucevic, DeRozan and Ball, fans are understandably thinking big when it comes to Chicago&rsquo;s trade targets entering the offseason.
Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for the Bulls since he could solve their rim-protection issues, but the window on acquiring Turner may have slammed shut as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> suggested that the Indiana Pacers are now expected to keep the 26-year-old long-term.
Another dominant shot-blocker who may become available is Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz just had another season end in disappointing fashion, and there has already been a <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/1521141215411941376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the Jazz will be forced to choose between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If Utah opts to keep their young shooting guard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection could suddenly be obtainable.
If that happens, the Bulls should at least reach out and start a conversation. Our Evan Sidery recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down potential destinations for Gobert</a> and listed Chicago as the top landing spot. Here&rsquo;s what he wrote:
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective. I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
It remains to be seen if either side would do this, but it&rsquo;s an intriguing idea.
With that said, if the Bulls are committed to Vucevic and don&rsquo;t want to trade for a new big man, HoopsHype&rsquo;s Yossi Gozlan <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points out</a> that an extension for Vooch could make sense this offseason.
If that happens, perhaps Chicago just looks for a complementary shot-blocker who can play behind Vucevic like one of the free agents we mentioned above or more of a minor trade target such as New York&rsquo;s Nerlens Noel or Minnesota&rsquo;s Jarred Vanderbilt.
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that the Bulls have a $5,000,000 trade exception that expires on July 7, 2022, from their Daniel Theis deal.
DRAFT
The Bulls have the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our senior NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock has Chicago selecting Ohio State forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ej-liddell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EJ Liddell</a>.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-7, 21-year-old junior is a well-rounded, NBA-ready player who makes sense for a Bulls team that wants to win now. Last season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 threes and 0.6 steals, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;Although he is a bit undersized for the position, the Buckeyes often used Liddell as a 4 or 5 in their lineups,&rdquo; Babcock noted in his scouting breakdown. &ldquo;He is physical and versatile on both ends of the floor, scoring both inside and out. He appears more comfortable in the mid-range and paint, which works well for his college system but raises questions in regards to his translatability to the NBA. Liddell filled up the box score and played with great effort and toughness. He has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the 2022 NBA Draft.&rdquo;
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Other players who are projected to be available in that range are G League Ignite wing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/marjon-beauchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MarJon Beauchamp</a>, Baylor forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a>, LSU forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/tari-eason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tari Eason</a>, Notre Dame guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley</a>, G League Ignite guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/jaden-hardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Hardy</a>, Serbian forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/nikola-jovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikola Jovic</a> and Tennessee guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a>.&nbsp;
If the Bulls aren&rsquo;t interested in any of these prospects, or if Karni&scaron;ovas and Eversley continue to be aggressive on the trade market, Chicago could look to deal the No. 18 pick as part of a win-now move.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Chicago must forfeit their next-available second-round pick after an NBA investigation revealed that they contacted Ball prior to the start of the NBA&rsquo;s free-agency period. As it stands, the Bulls&rsquo; next-available pick is the team&rsquo;s 2026 second-rounder, but Chicago can&rsquo;t acquire a second-round pick before then because they&rsquo;d have to forfeit it.
***
After a few rough years, the Bulls seem to be back on the right trajectory, and there&rsquo;s no question that this team has the talent to be a perennial playoff squad in the East. Winning 46 games despite trying to get so many new players acclimated is impressive, especially when you factor in the injuries to Ball, Caruso, Williams, etc.
Even if the Bulls bring back largely the same roster, they will benefit from that continuity and improved chemistry. However, given what we&rsquo;ve seen from this front office in recent years, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they look to wheel-and-deal in order to take the roster to the next level.

After winning 46 games and losing in the first round, where will the Bulls go from here? Alex Kennedy previews Chicago's summer.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Chicago Bulls?

In the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to COVID, France matched up with Team USA in the men&rsquo;s basketball gold-medal game for the third time.
The first gold-medal meeting between the two nations took place was in 1948, with France <a href="https://www.usab.com/history/national-team-mens/games-of-the-xivth-olympiad-1948.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losing 65-21 in that final</a>.
Despite having been historically good since then, it took another 52 years for the Frenchmen to return to that stage for a second time; unfortunately, Team USA awaited again. The game was much closer in 2000 than in 1948, but the Americans &mdash; led by Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning and Ray Allen among others &mdash; outlasted Antoine Rigaudeau, Laurent Sciarra, Frederic Weis and France, 85-75.
(No, that wasn&rsquo;t the game Carter <a href="https://youtu.be/WihbbVEmppI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dunked on Weis</a>; that was earlier in The Games.)
And in last year&rsquo;s gold-medal game, in the countries' third meeting on that stage, France <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-olympics-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401347899" target="_blank" rel="noopener">got even closer</a>.
France's best Olympic team ever was defeated by the Americans, 87-82. Team USA started Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo, answering the French quintet of Nando De Colo, Evan Fournier, Nicolas Batum, Guerschon Yabusele and Rudy Gobert.
Contributions from the U.S. bench came from Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine, Draymond Green and Khris Middleton, while Timoth&eacute; Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntikilina, Thomas Heurtel and Moustapha Fall were key components of France's second unit. The Frenchmen trailed by as little as 3 points with just eight seconds remaining before Durant iced the game with two free throws.
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Now imagine that game with Joel Embiid... playing for France.
The 28-year-old NBA MVP candidate, who was born and raised in Cameroon and has never played for his home national team (despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/things-to-monitor-as-the-next-fiba-world-cups-next-qualifying-window-arrives">coming close in 2017</a>), is reportedly <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/05/02/joel-embiid-could-change-nationality-play-french-national-team-report">eyeing an opportunity to suit up for France</a>.
Embiid has family in France, and is <a href="https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/basket/basket-joel-embiid-superstar-de-nba-se-rapproche-de-l-equipe-de-france_AV-202205020664.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering changing his nationality</a> in order to play for the Frenchmen in the 2024 Olympic Games, where they&rsquo;d enter as one of the favorites to challenge Team USA again for the gold. According to French basketball general manager Boris Diaw, Embiid is <a href="https://actucameroun.com/2022/05/03/boris-diaw-manager-general-de-lequipe-de-france-confirme-les-demarches-entamees-par-joel-embiid-pour-jouer-avec-les-bleus-en-vue-des-jo-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking the necessary steps</a>.
(Looks like we won't ever see the Embiid-Pascal Siakam tandem for Cameroon, unfortunately.)
In FIBA, each team is allowed one naturalized player on its roster. Current and recent instances of this include American-born players to suit up for different countries, such as Javonte Green (Montenegro), Matt Costello (Ivory Coast), Anthony Randolph (Slovenia) and Andray Blatche (Philippines). Non-American examples include Congolese center Serge Ibaka playing for Spain, Cuban native Ismael Romero playing for Puerto Rico and French-born Aaron Cel playing for Poland. Another famous occasion where this occurred saw Hakeem Olajuwon playing with Team USA in the 1990s.
Regarding American-born WNBA players, known examples include Bria Hartley representing France, Becky Hammon representing Russia and Leilani Mitchell representing Australia. Non-American examples in the women&rsquo;s game include Bahamian Jonquel Jones playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Senegal native Astou Ndour playing for Spain.
Now, it may be long before we see Embiid actually playing for France if this process gets finalized, or less than we think if he decides not to wait for the Olympics.
The next major European basketball tournament is EuroBasket 2022, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2022">which will run from Sept. 1-18 later this year</a> across Italy, Germany, Georgia and the Czech Republic. France will be one of 24 teams competing, but seeing Embiid there would be surprising.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup, which France is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/where-things-stand-after-the-second-window-of-fiba-world-cup-qualifiers">currently attempting to qualify for</a>, will take place from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10, 2023. Qualifying for the World Cup will run through next February before the final pool of 32 teams gets decided.
And the 2024 Summer Olympics, assuming we avoid another global pandemic, is expected to actually run that summer. The host of the Games? France, who will automatically qualify for the tournament <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/pr-n34-brazils-national-teams-granted-automatic-places-at-2016-olympic-basketball-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by rule</a>. Embiid will be 30 years old by the next Olympics.
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Since Embiid is reportedly targeting the 2024 Games, let&rsquo;s look at some players who might be his teammates.
The oldest players from the silver-medal-winning squad last summer were De Colo and Batum, who&rsquo;ll be 37 and 35 by the 2024 Games, so expect many of the same players to run it back if possible. One name that could join the fray is Boston Celtics second-round pick Juhann Begarin, who is just 19 years old and was the No. 45 overall selection last summer. Isma&euml;l Kamagate and Hugo Besson, both of whom are 21, are in the 2022 NBA Draft pool; the same goes for 18-year-old Ousmane Dieng, who is quickly rising up draft boards. There's also plenty of hype surrounding fellow 18-year-old, ASVEL star and 7-foot-2 sensation Victor Wembanyama &mdash; a lock to be a high draft pick in 2023.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft">BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock</a> has Dieng going No. 21 overall, Kamagate at No. 40 and Besson at No. 51.
But really, there&rsquo;s one question we need to answer, and it has to do with a three-time Defensive Player of the Year already on the roster who holds down the 5 position. Could an Embiid and Gobert frontcourt lead France over Team USA?
If you haven&rsquo;t realized, the American pool of bigs is slighter than you think.
Many of the best centers in the NBA aren&rsquo;t American and don&rsquo;t represent America internationally. Examples include Embiid, Gobert, Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Nikola Vučević (Montenegro), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia), Clint Capela (Switzerland) and Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania).
The best centers that have represented Team USA, and/or have Team USA eligibility, have been Adebayo, Green, Jarrett Allen and JaVale McGee. Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) is a player to watch <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2021/06/22/suns-big-deandre-ayton-ideal-team-usa-2024-summer-olympics-paris/5307682001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who could represent Team USA in the future</a>, along with younger bigs like Evan Mobley and Chet Holmgren.
Assuming health, so the 2024 American team could start either Adebayo, Ayton or Allen, if not 2 of the 3. Team USA is generally harder to guess in advance, but your starting lineup could look like some combination of Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Booker, Tatum and Adebayo. Maybe, to match size, Ayton gets in there instead of Edwards.
Maybe a Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell sneak into the backcourt instead. Maybe someone we&rsquo;re not projecting to make another huge leap does &mdash; like Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro or Tyrese Maxey &mdash; or maybe Jaden Ivey or Jabari Smith are more ready than we think by 2024. Even so, you&rsquo;d throw, at best, Adebayo, Ayton, Allen, and Mobley at the Embiid-Gobert combo, and that tandem could be backed up by Dieng, Yabusele, and Vincent Poirier for France.
It&rsquo;s a lot to project, no doubt, but giving <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/rankingmen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the No. 4 team in the world</a> a top-four player in the world could be what it takes for someone to snatch the gold medal away from Team USA in the Olympics for the first time since 2004.
But a lot can happen in two years, so we'll table this... for now.&nbsp;
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Bryan Fonseca looks at the potential of Joel Embiid joining France in international competition.

We’re not talking enough about Joel Embiid possibly playing for France

We&rsquo;re officially two months away from 2022 NBA Free Agency officially kicking off. Although the class is rather shallow &mdash; especially on superstar movement &mdash; the headliners provide some intrigue and there are endless possibilities in terms of the potential domino effects.
Will Zach LaVine and Deandre Ayton be viewed as max-level talents by their respective organizations? What will happen with James Harden and Kyrie Irving? Will Bradley Beal once again commit long-term to the Washington Wizards?
Let&rsquo;s dive into my predictions on what the top-five projected free agents will likely do this offseason, and how those moves could alter the calculus of the entire NBA.
James Harden
Player Option ($44.7 million)
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey accomplished his long-awaited dream when he helped James Harden and Joel Embiid join forces in Philadelphia earlier this season. When Harden wanted to get out of Brooklyn (an era we'll look back on as a huge "what if" in NBA history), the Sixers pushed their chips all-in on the dominant inside-out duo&rsquo;s potential.
However, having sent out Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and future draft capital to the Nets, it hasn&rsquo;t gone as smoothly as many expected for Harden. After a fast start with his new team, Harden's production has tailed off. Now, with Embiid's postseason status in jeopardy due to an orbital fracture, can Harden recapture his form before another important career decision?
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 regular-season games with the Sixers, and through six playoff games, has produced to the tune of 19.0 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Since these numbers aren't anywhere close to vintage-Harden levels of offensive production, does Morey feel comfortable shelling out a gigantic long-term extension to the 32-year-old, high-usage guard? It feels like we&rsquo;re entering into the next phase of Harden&rsquo;s career, and if that&rsquo;s the case, he&rsquo;s probably not a $40-plus-million player.
It seems like Philadelphia is backed into a corner in this situation though. After shipping off Simmons and future assets to Brooklyn, the Sixers have committed to Embiid and Harden hopefully delivering a championship within their short-term window.
Prediction: Harden opts out and re-signs on three-year max contract
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Kyrie Irving
Player Option ($36.5 million)
Who knows what the future holds as it relates to Kyrie Irving? Unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Irving cost the Nets a realistic chance at competing for an NBA championship this season; this should've never been an issue, but he had to try to catch up and learn on the fly with his teammates.
Brooklyn still holds those championship expectations moving forward, especially with Kevin Durant and Simmons alongside Irving.
Irving is the true wildcard to watch this summer. If he decides to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nets-should-part-ways-with-kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move on from the Nets</a>, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise at all. Honestly, even retirement wouldn&rsquo;t be a complete surprise with Irving. In the end, though, the Nets are also married to this idea of competing for rings over the extended window with Durant.
The reason why Durant joined the Nets was to play with his best friend in Irving. It&rsquo;s hard to envision Irving leaving Brooklyn, and he echoed similar sentiments after the Nets&rsquo; disappointing first-round exit against the Boston Celtics.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I&rsquo;m leaving my man 7 anywhere,&rdquo; Irving said after the series.
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"I don't really plan on going anywhere.... when I say I'm here with Kev [Durant] I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks]... we're cornerstones here but we have Ben, we have a few other guys..." -Kyrie Irving on FA <a href="https://t.co/ulk86MzHTK">pic.twitter.com/ulk86MzHTK</a>
&mdash; DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidEarly/status/1518782963579867138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Nets should definitely reconsider their stance on handing out a potential five-year max extension to Irving though. Understanding his unpredictability, who knows what could happen in the future with him? With Durant still dominating, Irving will likely align his next contract on a similar path.
Prediction: Irving opts out and re-signs on four-year max contract
Bradley Beal
Player Option ($36.4 million)
Will Bradley Beal really decide to stick around in D.C. for the long-term? I have serious doubts on that idea, and Beal should as well for his legacy. Even in a down year for the Washington Wizards &mdash; one in which he was shut down due to a torn ligament in his left wrist on Feb. 8 &mdash; he&rsquo;s still a star-level player in the NBA. Capable of dropping 30-plus points with ease at anytime, Beal has consistently shown the team around him has been the main issue. Carrying subpar teams on his back since John Wall left, Beal needs to consider doing the greater good for his own individual outlook.
From Beal&rsquo;s perspective, looking around at other options to win right now would be the best-case scenario. While he's been very loyal to the Wizards since being drafted by the organization, this could become very awkward rather quickly once the offseason window opens.
Washington has done a fantastic job retooling its team on the fly since trading away Russell Westbrook. Rolling the dice on Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline is a massive risk, but he&rsquo;s the closest thing to a star-level player who would be willing to stay long-term. With Porzingis and a plethora of young talent led by Kyle Kuzma, will Beal lock himself into this situation for another four or five years?
The trade market will be the most realistic route to see star movement in the summer. Beal is one of those names to watch via sign-and-trade. If Beal opts out, don&rsquo;t be surprised to see him sign elsewhere while not leaving the Wizards high and dry with nothing back in return. Beal seems destined to spread his wings elsewhere and serve as the cherry on top of a true title contender's roster.
Prediction: Beal opts out and the Wizards pull off sign-and-trade to recoup some assets
Zach LaVine
Unrestricted Free Agent
Zach LaVine is one of the more underrated players in the league. He&rsquo;s a highlight reel on the offensive end, but his defense leaves so much to be desired. We&rsquo;ve seen incremental improvements with LaVine on that end with better talent around him, but will the Bulls view him as a max-level player? Committing that type of money to LaVine could be risky &mdash; especially with an upcoming offseason knee surgery &mdash; but it&rsquo;s the Bulls&rsquo; best bet to keeping their core together long-term.
If the Bulls balk at paying LaVine, many teams with cap space will come knocking on his door. San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray has already started <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1519870631180791808?s=20&amp;t=vGdMwWWoEEc20-pQbx0udg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruiting LaVine on social media</a> with photoshops of him in their jersey, for example.
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LaVine and DeMar DeRozan showed throughout this season that they are a lethal scoring combination that is very difficult to contain. Before injuries ravaged Chicago&rsquo;s roster, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Bulls try to move Nikola Vucevic, who has a $22 million expiring contract; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert could be a name to watch</a> if the Bulls try to take their team to another level.
But LaVine is a different story.
A core in Chicago of LaVine, DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso is a fun one. Chicago runs it back and doesn&rsquo;t hesitate coughing up huge money to its star shooting guard.
Prediction: LaVine signs a five-year max extension with Bulls
Deandre Ayton
Restricted Free Agent
This is one of the more interesting situations to follow heading into the offseason. After the Phoenix Suns shockingly decided not to pay 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton before the season began, questions are still bubbling under the surface on his long-term future with the organization. Ayton hasn&rsquo;t let this impact his on-court performance though, as he's continued to be a two-way anchor to the Suns&rsquo; immense success. The Bahamian big man keeps proving his game is tailor-made for the postseason as well.
Will the Suns actually allow Ayton and his representation to test the open market as one of the top free agents available? It would be stunning, but it feels like we could be heading in that direction.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned that, in negotiations, the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player at the time, which stunned many executives around the NBA. Has Phoenix&rsquo;s stance changed after Ayton&rsquo;s consistent performances throughout this season and the playoffs?
Here&rsquo;s a little nugget: According to a league source, Phoenix is more than comfortable paying up and going deep into the luxury tax as long as its roster is competing for championships. Ayton is part of that puzzle, and 2019 lottery pick Cameron Johnson is eligible for an extension this offseason. Do with that information what you will, but it would truly be stunning to see Ayton playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Prediction: Ayton tests the market and signs four-year max offer sheet elsewhere, which includes a player option; Phoenix eventually matches the offer sheet and keeps him long-term 
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What will happen with the best projected 2022 free agents this offseason? Evan Sidery shares his predictions for the top five.

2022 NBA Free Agency: Predicting where 5 stars will land this summer

The Utah Jazz&rsquo;s 2021-22 season is officially over. The Jazz believed they were a championship contender, but this marks another season ending in disappointment and heartbreak. Now, looking ahead at what&rsquo;s to come in Salt Lake City, massive changes seem to be on the horizon. Whether it be Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert on the move, something&rsquo;s gotta give. Other veterans such as Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic could be on the move too.
While our Bryan Fonseca recently broke down <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possible trade destinations for Mitchell</a>, it's seems likely that the Jazz will try to appease their young star shooting guard. Gordon Hayward already broke Utah&rsquo;s heart a few years ago when he left in free agency. If Mitchell requested a trade, it would send shockwaves throughout Utah. Unlike Hayward, Mitchell has star power that transcends Utah and he could potentially lead the team to heights they haven&rsquo;t reached since the 1990s with John Stockton and Karl Malone.
If the Jazz have to move their homegrown three-time Defensive Player of the Year in order to keep Mitchell, I'm almost certain it would happen. It&rsquo;s an unfortunate twist of fate for Gobert, but leaving the Jazz&rsquo;s system might be the best thing for him so he can truly blossom into a true two-way presence.
As seen throughout Utah's first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, Gobert was ignored or simply used as a decoy more often than not. If Gobert is used on a more consistent basis in a different environment, who knows what he could accomplish as one of the NBA&rsquo;s premier lob threats?
Gobert hitting the trade market would result in a feeding frenzy around the Association. Whether it be title contenders or rebuilding teams who feel close to a massive leap, Gobert could be viewed as the missing piece to the puzzle.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into five realistic destinations for a Gobert blockbuster deal this offseason.
Chicago Bulls
Chicago knows they&rsquo;re in desperate need of a defensive jolt. Adding Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso in the backcourt already brought a new identity to the Bulls, who were seemingly allergic to defense before their arrival. Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for Chicago, but the Indiana Pacers are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expected to keep him long-term. Why not swing for the fences with Gobert? Acquiring the 29-year-old would be a crown-jewel moment for the organization.&nbsp;
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Ball and Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective.
I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation
Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
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New York Knicks
The Knicks are bound to blow it up one way or another soon enough. Julius Randle feels like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the most obvious trade candidates</a> to potentially hit the market this offseason. If the Knicks are done with Randle, could they parlay him and other young pieces to acquire Gobert? While <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York would love to land Mitchell</a>, the Knicks should seriously explore a Gobert trade since the organization needs some sort of game-changing move.
The 2022-23 season feels like a make-or-break year for the current Knicks regime. Head coach Tom Thibodeau&rsquo;s seat is red-hot, plus the Knicks&rsquo; front office has to be itching to make some sort of move to change course from a stale build.
Gobert&rsquo;s arrival would signal New York is ready to finally ascend the Eastern Conference standings. Sure, Gobert isn&rsquo;t a true &ldquo;superstar,&rdquo; but he&rsquo;s far and away the most impactful player the Knicks could realistically reel in this offseason. Gobert being the adult in the room for an accelerated rebuild in the Big Apple is a fun scenario, especially as it provides a high-floor outcome immediately.
New York&rsquo;s current roster has ample flexibility to turn it all over again by 2023. If the Knicks clear out all of their contracts with team options and expiring deals, sans the young core, they will have a max slot open for the loaded 2023 free-agent class. Would Gobert and RJ Barrett be able to sell a star on New York? If Barrett takes the leap forward that many expect, that&rsquo;s a fun big/wing duo to build around long-term.
Utah will likely want at least another young asset or two in return as part of this projected blockbuster, but the framework is strong enough to build off it.
Jazz receive: Julius Randle, Alec Burks, Quentin Grimes, draft compensation
Knicks receive: Rudy Gobert
Atlanta Hawks
Want to find the perfect fit for Gobert outside of Utah? The Hawks are the ideal destination for Gobert, who would be able to shine outside of the Jazz&rsquo;s system. Trae Young pick-and-rolls with Gobert would simply be unfair to try to guard, and it would help insulate their star point guard in a better situation.
Atlanta also has the right amount of assets to make this compelling for Utah to pull the trigger. Whether it be John Collins or Bogdan Bogdanovic, either one could be the centerpiece to a Gobert deal. Also, Atlanta has an upcoming expiring salary in Danilo Gallinari with only $5 million guaranteed on his contract. If you throw together Collins, Gallinari and future draft compensation, it could be enough for the Jazz to take negotiations more seriously. Clint Capela could also be re-routed to another team to free up further cap flexibility as well.
For Atlanta, they are ready to win right now with Young leading the way. With Young, Kevin Huerter, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, they have a young core that's ready to take the next step. Gobert brings a star piece to an organization that has the urgency to compete right now in the East, and they'll want to bounce back after how they crashed and burned to end their 2021-22 season. Also, the Hawks had the NBA's 26th-ranked defense this season (allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions), so adding a three-time Defensive Player of the Year could be just what they need.
It wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise to see a player of Young&rsquo;s caliber push for Gobert to join him in Atlanta too. With all the trade rumors swirling around Collins since he signed a five-year extension, this deal makes a lot of sense for both sides to explore further.
Jazz receive: John Collins, Danilo Gallinari, future draft compensation
Hawks receive: Rudy Gobert
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Golden State Warriors
Smoke is already forming around this possibility, if the Jazz indeed decide to blow it up in a few months. For the Warriors, it&rsquo;s an all-in move to create another dynasty in the final prime years of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. With so much young talent climbing the ladder in the reloaded Western Conference, the time is now for the Warriors to make a splashy move to keep themselves atop the standings.
This will be the last time the Warriors can explore potential deals revolving around Andrew Wiggins&rsquo; bloated salary as well. Next season, Wiggins will be on an expiring contract making $33.6 million. With Wiggins, Golden State can immediately enter the conversation for Gobert while also having some intriguing young pieces that could appeal to Utah.
Jonathan Kuminga is likely off limits from the Warriors&rsquo; perspective, flashing real two-way potential throughout this season. However, what about a combination of Moses Moody and James Wiseman? Instantly, Utah can replenish their young core with two immediate contributors to place alongside Mitchell long-term. Throw in some future draft picks and the Jazz might be the ones who are ready to press &ldquo;accept&rdquo; on this hypothetical trade.
Golden State&rsquo;s new-age lineup of dominance would simply be unfair. Take a look at the Warriors&rsquo; projected lineup with Gobert: Curry, Jordan Poole, Thompson, Green and Gobert. With all of the versatility on display here, it could vault Golden State into a different stratosphere entirely.
Jazz receive: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, future draft compensation
Warriors receive: Rudy Gobert, Rudy Gay
Detroit Pistons
Here&rsquo;s a surprise team that could become very aggressive in the Gobert sweepstakes if the chips fall their way this offseason. No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham flashed superstar potential for the Pistons during his rookie campaign, especially after the All-Star break.
If the Pistons get lottery luck once more with a top pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, could they decide to push some chips into the middle of the table for Gobert? Imagine if the Pistons had a trio of Cunningham, Gobert and a top prospect (Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero?) to build around for the next five-plus years.
For the Pistons, acquiring stars via the draft or trades is the only realistic route to obtaining a game-changing talent. We already saw it on display with their former regime when they traded for Blake Griffin, which led to little progress long-term. Unlike Griffin, Gobert actually fits into the organization's long-term calculus.
From the Jazz&rsquo;s perspective, they would be asking for a heavy return from a team like Detroit. We&rsquo;re talking two key pieces to their core as well as veteran wing Jerami Grant. Would the Pistons feel comfortable moving Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart for Gobert? That may be Utah's asking price.
Jazz receive: Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Kelly Olynyk, future draft compensation
Pistons receive: Rudy Gobert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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Entering a pivotal offseason, will the Utah Jazz blow it up? If so, which teams make sense as a landing spot for Rudy Gobert?

Examining potential trade destinations for Rudy Gobert

Though he didn't rule out re-signing with the Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine didn't slam the door on joining another team, either.
The two-time All-Star played it coy. And with that, the offseason took a dramatic turn in Chicago.
LaVine made it clear Friday he plans to explore the market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, calling it a &ldquo;big decision&rdquo; for him and his family. The high-flying guard insisted he is keeping an open mind, as much as he has enjoyed his five seasons in Chicago.
He indicated he intends to meet with other teams when free agency opens, saying: &ldquo;I plan to enjoy free agency. We're gonna have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and (agent Rich Paul) are gonna go through and experience.&rdquo;
Are the Bulls the leader to sign him? LaVine was noncommittal.
&ldquo;You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like I'm automatically coming back or I'm automatically leaving.&rdquo;
The Bulls got off to a solid start this season en route to a 46-36 record and their first playoff appearance since 2017. But they were hit hard by injuries, with LaVine and guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso and forward Patrick Williams missing significant stretches. They struggled down the stretch and got knocked out 4-1 by defending NBA champion Milwaukee in the first round.
LaVine averaged 24.4 points, made his second straight All-Star team and got his first taste of the playoffs in his eighth year. But it was hardly a smooth season for him.
He dealt with an early thumb injury and was in and out of the lineup the final few months because of a sore left knee. He had platelet-rich plasma therapy, a cortisone injection and fluid drained from his knee in Los Angeles before the All-Star break.
LaVine also missed the final playoff game after entering the health and safety protocols. He said he tested negative Friday after he &ldquo;felt terrible&rdquo; the first two days.
LaVine said he needs to get his knee back to 100% and he'll have it re-examined soon after he returns home to Los Angeles. As for his contract? The Bulls clearly want to keep him.
&ldquo;The thing is that we have a relationship with him, he knows exactly what to expect here,&rdquo; executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said. &ldquo;We have a really good relationship with him. The last two years have been the best two years of his career, so we'll see what happens.&rdquo;
Karnisovas said the knee problem won't impact negotiations. LaVine's four-year, $78 million contract is about to expire.
A supermax deal worth about $245 million over five years appears to be out of reach since he would need to be chosen All-NBA, MVP or Defensive Player of the Year to become eligible. The Bulls can offer a max contract worth more than $210 million over five years.
But LaVine didn&rsquo;t seem too inclined to give the Bulls a discount so they might have a little more salary-cap flexibility.
&ldquo;I think it's important to me you get paid what you're valued at,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I see myself as a top guy in this league. I think I've proven that over the last four years.&rdquo;
He also sees potential for the Bulls to become an elite team. Karnisovas has been aggressive in reshaping the roster since he was hired two years ago, acquiring Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Ball and Caruso as well as drafting Ayo Dosunmu and hiring coach Billy Donovan.
But the injuries last season made it difficult to develop the continuity they needed to compete with the NBA's best. That's a point the players as well as Donovan and Karnisovas mentioned the past two days. A major part of that would be re-signing LaVine.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Rome was built in a year,&rdquo; LaVine said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you can be a championship-caliber team right off the bat. Maybe some teams are. But it&rsquo;s tough. It&rsquo;s the first time a lot of us made the playoffs. I think it was a really good experience. And not all of us got to really play together due to circumstances of COVID and injury. I definitely think this is a good team and has the potential to be a championship-caliber team."
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zach LaVine made it clear Friday he plans to explore the market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

LaVine open to re-signing with Bulls, exploring free agency

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.
The third-seeded Bucks advanced to face second-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 on Sunday in Boston. The Celtics swept Brooklyn.
After splitting the first two games, the Bucks won the last three by an average margin of 23.3 points. They won those three games without Khris Middleton, the All-Star who sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Chicago didn&rsquo;t handle the loss of key players quite as well. The Bulls played without the starting backcourt they used for the first four games because two-time All-Star Zach LaVine was in health and safety protocols and Alex Caruso was in concussion protocol.
The absences enabled Milwaukee&rsquo;s defense to focus much of its attention on containing DeMar DeRozan, who had scored 41 points in the Bulls&rsquo; Game 2 victory. DeRozan was held to 11 points Wednesday while shooting 5 of 10.
Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks by shooting 11 of 15 from the floor and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. Pat Connaughton hit 6 of 9 3-pointes and scored 20 points, and Bobby Portis added 14 points and career-high 17 rebounds. The Bucks&rsquo; largest lead was 29.
Patrick Williams scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic 19 and Coby White 17 for the Bulls. Vucevic also had 16 rebounds and six assists.
DeRozan was scoreless in the first 26 minutes of the game and attempted just one shot in the first quarter as he tried to get his teammates involved.
The problem was Chicago&rsquo;s other players weren&rsquo;t hitting open shots, allowing the Bucks to take command early.
Milwaukee pulled ahead for good 3 1/2 minutes into the game and built a double-digit lead by scoring 12 straight points in the first quarter. Late in the first period, the Bucks began a 23-2 run that helped them extend the advantage to 49-20 with 7:25 left in the second period. Antetokounmpo scored nine straight Bucks points during that second spurt.
Chicago outscored the Bucks 22-11 the rest of the second quarter and got the margin down to 11 on Ayo Dosunmu&rsquo;s 3-point play with 9:32 left in the third quarter, but Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis hit a pair of corner 3-pointers 36 seconds apart to make it 72-55.
TIP-INS
Bulls: The Bulls attempted 52 shots from 3-point range and only 40 from inside the arc. Chicago made just 28.8% of its 3-point shots. ... The Bulls haven&rsquo;t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2015, when they beat the Bucks before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East semifinals. &hellip; With LaVine and Caruso unavailable, Javonte Green and Dosunmu made their first career playoff starts.
Bucks: Reserve guard George Hill still hasn&rsquo;t played in this postseason due to an abdominal strain. Hill had been listed as questionable the injury report Wednesday before getting ruled out, an indication he&rsquo;s getting closer to a return. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that Hill is &ldquo;making progress&rdquo; but added that &ldquo;he needs more time.&rdquo; ... The Bucks have won 20 of their last 22 meetings with the Bulls. ... Jrue Holiday had 10 points and nine assists but also committed six turnovers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 9 rebounds and the defending NBA champion Bucks routed the Bulls to advance.

Bucks rout Bulls 116-100 in Game 5, advance to face Celtics

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Monday's postseason slate.
Milwaukee Bucks (-12) vs. Chicago Bulls
This series is going to end with emphasis on Wednesday night, folks. With Zach LaVine out due to injury, Milwaukee is about to steamroll Chicago into submission. The Bucks have been finding their groove as of late, even without Khris Middleton, thanks to the dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Expect more of the Giannis show to continue on with ease, especially with how massive this spread already is projected.
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&mdash; Wednesday, April 27th Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks</blockquote>

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Even with a 12-point line, confidently hammer Milwaukee in this spot. Not only are they quite simply the better team, but there&rsquo;s no reason why they shouldn&rsquo;t blow out the LaVine-less Bulls.
Pick: Bucks -12
Player Props: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 32.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 29.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 10.5 rebounds, Jrue Holiday over 7.5 assists
Golden State Warriors (-8.5) vs. Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic helped force a Game 5 back in San Francisco, but this feels like great value to pounce on here for the Warriors. After a hot-and-cold shooting stretch in Denver, the Warriors are poised to have the floodgates open in this matchup. Golden State is also reportedly considering starting their new &ldquo;Death Lineup&rdquo; featuring Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green.
Although Jokic will still put his usual MVP-esque numbers up, it won&rsquo;t matter in the end for Denver. Hammer with emphasis the Warriors to easily cover the 8.5-point spread in Game 5.
Pick: Warriors -8.5
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 30.5 points, Klay Thompson over 23.5 points, Stephen Curry over 3.5 threes, Monte Morris over 1.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Wednesday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA picks and fantasy advice for 4/27/22

The Chicago Bulls won&rsquo;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&rsquo;s health and safety protocols while Caruso is in concussion protocols. <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1519310326818353154">The Bulls announced Wednesday that neither would play in Game 5.</a>
Both of them had started each of the first four games in this series.
The defending champion <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-golden-state-warriors-nba-7575804a27f922408b45e5bba37f235e">Bucks have a 3-1 lead</a> in the best-of-seven series after winning two lopsided games in Chicago. Milwaukee won <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-giannis-antetokounmpo-e85af189d20ce591f1292db6c797e6ff">111-81 in Game 3</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-covid-nba-sports-b945fff713ed072974032bac3cf7bff8">119-95 in Game 4.</a>
LaVine, who earned his second All-Star selection this season, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-billy-donovan-37770becc7bfe4b8e59606b56639a7fd"> entered the health and safety protocols </a> on Tuesday. This marks his third time in the protocols; he tested positive for the coronavirus in April 2021 and again in December.
The Bulls have a 9-6 record in games LaVine has missed this season. He has averaged 19.3 points, 6 assists and 5.3 rebounds in this series.
Caruso left Game 4 after taking an inadvertent hit to the face from Bucks guard Jevon Carter. He has averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 assists in this series, and he earned praise for his defense when the Bulls split the first two games in Milwaukee.
The Bulls also are missing guard <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-lonzo-ball-billy-donovan-4ac9b3666c5825227884667633576587">Lonzo Ball, </a> who suffered a season-ending knee injury in January. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-46750c79bbe5ebbd7da9e84e81d3ef86">The Bucks are missing three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton </a> due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and reserve guard <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-george-hill-2ef0b248777b226a9c413a43af717f5a"> George Hill</a> because of an abdominal strain.

Zach LaVine is in the NBA’s health and safety protocols while Alex Caruso is in concussion protocols.

Bulls rule out LaVine, Caruso for Game 5 in Milwaukee

The Warriors and Bucks enter Wednesday in need of one more win to wrap up their respective first-round playoff series.
Golden State&rsquo;s Game 4 loss at Denver on Sunday denied it a sweep over a Nuggets team that dropped each of the first three games.
Milwaukee has posted back-to-back dominant wins over Chicago and holds a 3-1 lead despite continuing to play without Khris Middleton, whose knee injury in Game 2 of the series forced the defending champions to adjust.
Both front-running teams remain confident as they prepare to play in their home arenas.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes playing a closeout game for the first time in two seasons was beneficial to his team, even though it lost.
He also thinks not letting Denver be as physical as it was in Game 4 will be key.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot tougher to play against physicality when every possession is in the half court,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;Our defense can help our offense. Not fouling, letting the game flow is big advantage for us.&rdquo;
The Bucks have endured without Middleton thanks in part to Bobby Portis. He is averaging 16 points per game and shooting 50% from the field (42% from 3-point range) since being inserted into the starting lineup.
&ldquo;The guys have been competing,&rdquo; coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;With or without Khris, when we&rsquo;re good defensively, that usually bleeds into our offense. While we can always get better, I think the defense has been what we&rsquo;ve leaned on pretty hard here the last couple of games.&rdquo;
With a second-round matchup against Boston looming, defense will continue to be paramount.
&ldquo;Everybody has stepped up in his absence,&rdquo; Wesley Matthews said. &ldquo;Obviously you can&rsquo;t just have one person fill what Khris does.&rdquo;
Here is a look at Wednesday night&rsquo;s games:
BULLS AT BUCKS
Milwaukee leads 3-1. Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
NEED TO KNOW: After the two teams split two close games in Milwaukee, the Bucks have taken command of this series with two lopsided victories in Chicago, a 111-81 drubbing in Game 3 and a 119-95 blowout in Game 4. The Bucks are 1-1 at home, matching their total number of home playoff losses from their title run last season.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Bucks G Grayson Allen. After scoring a total of three points in the first two games, Allen had 22 in Game 3 and 27 in Game 4. Allen reached the 20-point mark just five times in the regular season, and only twice since mid-November. He has shot 11 of 14 over his last two games.
INJURY WATCH: The Bulls announced G Zach LaVine was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-billy-donovan-37770becc7bfe4b8e59606b56639a7fd">placed in the health and safety protocols</a> and didn&rsquo;t travel with the team to Milwaukee Tuesday. But he will continue to test in hopes of being cleared in time for Game 5. Guard Alex Caruso also remains in the concussion protocol, also leaving his status uncertain for Game 5. ... Middleton will miss a third straight game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Bucks G George Hill hasn&rsquo;t played yet in the postseason and remains out with an abdominal strain.
PRESSURE IS ON: The Bulls' defense. Chicago&rsquo;s ability to force turnovers and disrupt Milwaukee's offense made this series competitive early, but the Bucks picked the Bulls apart over the last two games. The Bucks shot 52.3% overall and went 17 of 33 on 3-point attempts in Game 4. This series ends Wednesday if the Bulls don&rsquo;t get back to defending the way they did in the first two games.
NUGGETS AT WARRIORS
Golden State leads 3-1. Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT
NEED TO KNOW: A late 3-pointer by Will Barton and 37 points from Nikola Jokic helped the Nuggets to a 126-121 win in Game 4. But they nearly squandered a 17-point lead, which doesn&rsquo;t bode well for Denver. Golden State won by 16 and 20 points at home in Games 1 and 2.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Stephen Curry. The All-Star has come off the bench for the Warriors in each of the first four games, with Kerr steadily increasing his minutes following the foot injury that sidelined him late in the regular season. He was up to 37 minutes in Game 4 and has led Golden State in scoring each of the last three games.
INJURY WATCH: Kerr said Curry has &ldquo;no limitations&rdquo; on his minutes. But he declined to say whether Curry will start in Game 5.
PRESSURE IS ON: The Nuggets, who have dropped three straight at Golden State dating back to the regular season. A loss would drop them to 1-8 in their last two playoff series after being swept by Phoenix in the conference semifinals last season.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Steve Megargee contributed.

The Warriors and Bucks enter Wednesday in need of one more win to wrap up their respective first-round playoff series.

Bucks, Warriors return home looking to close out series

Bulls say star Zach LaVine has entered health and safety protocols, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1518994635338788864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bulls say star Zach LaVine has entered health and safety protocols.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1518994635338788864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

ANALYSIS:&nbsp;It's hard not to see this and think this seals the Bulls fate. The outlook was already pretty bleak for them being down 3-1, but losing LaVine means it will take a miracle for them to come back against the reigning NBA champions.

Shams Charania reports that Zach Lavine has entered health and safety protocols.

Shams: Zach LaVine has entered health and safety protocols

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; 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 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
Jrue Holiday scored 26, and the Bucks made it look easy again after beating the Bulls by 30 and handing them the most lopsided home playoff loss in franchise history. The defending NBA champions led by 22 early in the third quarter and steadied themselves after a push by Chicago. They&rsquo;ll try to wrap up the series in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Allen delivered another huge effort off the bench, surpassing his previous postseason scoring high of 22 points in Game 3. He made 10 of 12 shots and nailed 6 of 7 3s, with Chicago fans booing just about every time he touched the ball.
Antetokounmpo had seven assists.
Holiday made five 3s. Bobby Portis added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his second straight start with Khris Middleton sidelined because of a sprained left knee, and the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 19th time in 21 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 24 points and 13 assists, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 and Patrick Williams finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Allen made 4 of 5 3-pointers and scored 16 as the Bucks grabbed a 56-41 halftime lead.
It was 54-39 with just over two minutes left after he and Holiday nailed back-to-back 3s. Chicago's Patrick Williams dunked, and Allen missed from up top after making his first four 3s. But he banked in a floater in the final minute to make it a 15-point game.
Portis nailed a 3 and Holiday buried a 30-footer, bumping it to 63-41 in the opening minute of the third. The lead was down to 68-60 midway through the quarter after a 17-3 run by Chicago.
But the Bucks answered by scoring 11 straight. Antetokounmpo had six of those points, including a dunk to make it 79-60, and fed Allen for a 3 after blocking LaVine during that stretch.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis and LaVine had to be separated in the closing minutes of the game after they got tangled and had a heated exchange near the Bulls' basketball. Portis wore goggles again to protect his right eye. Portis suffered an abrasion in Game 2 when he was hit by Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson as they went for a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fifth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't anticipate him returning on Wednesday. &ldquo;I don't think I'd put him in the day-to-day category,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think he's gonna need a little more time. Hopefully, it's shorter rather than longer.&rdquo; ... G Luca Vildoza was unavailable because of a non-COVID illness. The 26-year-old Argentinean played eight minutes in Game 3 in his NBA debut, after signing with the Bucks on April 6.
Bulls: G Alex Caruso left the game with a facial injury. ... Chicago has lost six straight home playoff games since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago dropped that series in six games. ... Assistant coach Maurice Cheeks was back after missing Game 3 with a non-COVID-19 illness.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Grayson Allen scored a playoff career-high 27 points to help lead Milwaukee to a Game 4 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Allen scores 27, Bucks beat Bulls 119-95 to take 3-1 lead

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.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points, Bobby Portis had 18 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Bucks made it look easy coming off two shaky performances at home.
Coming off two shaky performances at home, Milwaukee quieted a raucous crowd watching Chicago&rsquo;s first playoff game at the United Center in five years almost as soon as it started. The Bucks led by 24 in the second quarter and remained in control the rest of the way.
Middleton is expected to miss the rest of the series after spraining his left knee in Wednesday night in a loss. Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
Antetokounmpo scored all but two of his points after the first quarter. The two-time MVP finished with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Jrue Holiday added 16 points to help the Bucks beat the Bulls for the 18th time in 20 games.
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 19 points. Zach LaVine had 15 and DeMar DeRozan finished with just 11 after setting a career playoff high with 41 in Game 2.
The Bucks had it going right from the start, racing out to a 60-41 halftime lead even with Middleton sidelined.
Allen helped squash the &ldquo;Let's go Bulls!&rdquo; chants, nailing four 3s and scoring 14 in the half. That had to make it even tougher for fans still upset about his hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso during a game in Milwaukee in January. They showered him with boos but couldn't throw him off his game.
Antetokounmpo started a 13-0 run early in the second quarter with a 19-footer and dunk. And Allen finished it with a driving layup that bumped the lead to 46-22.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Portis wore goggles after missing most of Game 2 with a right eye abrasion. He took a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson late in the first quarter Wednesday as both players were going after a rebound. ... G George Hill (abdominal strain) missed his fourth game in a row. And coach Mike Budenholzer said he doesn't appear close to returning. ... Milwaukee has won 12 of 13 at the United Center dating to the 2016-17 season
Bulls: The Bulls have not won a home playoff game since beating Cleveland in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago lost that series in six games. ... Assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Damian Cotter were back with the team after missing the first two games because of COVID-19. Assistant Maurice Cheeks, however, was out because of a non-COVID illness, coach Billy Donovan said.

Grayson Allen's 5 three-pointers led the charge for Milwaukee in a redemptive Game 3 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks rout Bulls 111-81, take 2-1 lead without Khris Middleton

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-nba-sports-mike-budenholzer-598c4ea01c12a5c205da9a5dce63dfa2">Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee</a>, leaving both teams without one of their All-Stars.
That wasn't all they lost. Both teams went on to fall in those Game 2s and find themselves tied as their series switch sites Friday night.
The Suns will be at New Orleans, while the Bucks make the short trip to Chicago.
Miami takes a 2-0 lead into Atlanta in the other game on the schedule Friday.
Milwaukee had to overcome the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury last season during the Eastern Conference finals, winning the final two games against Atlanta in part because of how well Middleton played.
Now the Bucks will have to find a way without Middleton, who underwent testing Thursday that confirmed the diagnosis of a sprained left MCL. The Bucks said he would be treated daily and his status would be updated in approximately two weeks, which means he will miss at least the rest of the first round.
&ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a challenge. We kind of know the deal now," Antetokounmpo said. "We&rsquo;ve got to go and get one on the road. It&rsquo;s going to be hard. Nobody says it&rsquo;s going to be easy. But we know what the deal is. Khris is down. But we have a great team, talented team, tough team. Hopefully we can go out here and compete to the highest of our ability.
"Do we thrive in adversity? We&rsquo;ll see. We cannot predict the future but hopefully we can be ready to compete in Game 3.&rdquo;
Middleton and teammate Jrue Holiday flew with Booker to Tokyo last summer for the Olympics, just after the Bucks erased a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to deny Phoenix its first NBA championship.
The Suns returned this season and soared through the best regular season in franchise history, rolling to an NBA-best 64-18 record. But they got just one win to open the postseason before Booker was hurt after scoring 31 points in the first half of Game 2.
Then the Pelicans, who had to win two play-in games just to make the postseason, rallied for a 125-114 victory behind 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Brandon Ingram.
The Suns played through Booker's absence because of hamstring trouble earlier in the season and a stretch without Chris Paul after the All-Star break because of a hand injury, so they also have experience having to get by without a star.
&ldquo;We're going to need everybody throughout this deep playoff run that we hope that we have,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;So it's been a season like that for us. Next man up. Guys stay ready.&rdquo;
Friday&rsquo;s games:
HEAT AT HAWKS
Miami leads 2-0. Game 3, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Trae Young matched a career worst by shooting 1 for 12 in Game 1, then established a career high &mdash; of the wrong kind &mdash; by committing 10 turnovers in Game 2. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been at his best for Miami and is coming off a playoff career-best 45 points in Game 2.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Miami is up 2-0 in the series without Adebayo and Herro doing much yet in the scoring columns. If the Heat get them going, Atlanta is in even more trouble.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Clint Capela (knee) is definitely out for Game 3 and seems unlikely to play in this series, no matter how long it lasts. His absence has been huge in the first two games of the series. John Collins (finger) has filled in and performed admirably, considering he can&rsquo;t bend one of his fingers and the injury is so painful that he&rsquo;s been noticeably wincing several times so far in the series. But without Capela and with Collins far from 100%, the Hawks aren&rsquo;t themselves. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really have as much touch as I would like with my finger,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing the best I can.&rdquo;
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Young has to step up his game for the Hawks to have any chance against the top-seeded Heat. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to be better,&rdquo; said Young, who became only the second player in NBA history after Nate Archibald to lead the league in total points and assists. Young considers this a personal duel against Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who has thrown out all sorts of defensive wrinkles to slow the Atlanta star. &ldquo;Spoelstra is a top 15 coach of all time for a reason,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not going to let me just outscore &rsquo;em. He&rsquo;s going to make it tough. It&rsquo;s my job to try to out-think him in certain ways.&rdquo;
BUCKS AT BULLS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Chicago's 114-110 victory in Game 2 was just its second win in the last 19 meetings with the Bucks. Milwaukee's defense has to regain control of DeMar DeRozan, who scored 41 points, and Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, who both had at least 20. All three shot terribly in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Bulls guard Alex Caruso. He missed nearly two months of the regular season after breaking his right wrist on a flagrant foul from Bucks guard Grayson Allen that resulted in an ejection and one-game suspension. In the first two games of this series, Caruso has revealed just what the Bulls were missing while he was away. Caruso&rsquo;s defensive tenacity has bothered the Bucks, who have 36 turnovers in this series. Caruso had nine points and a season-high 10 assists in Game 2. The Bulls outscored the Bucks by 16 points in the 38 minutes when he was on the floor.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Bucks forward Bobby Portis left Game 2 with a right eye abrasion after taking a hit to the face from Chicago&rsquo;s Tristan Thompson while both players were competing for a rebound late in the first quarter. Bucks reserve guard George Hill has missed the first two games of the series with an abdominal strain and isn&rsquo;t expected to return anytime soon.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Holiday: Middleton's absence puts more responsibility on Antetokounmpo and Holiday to carry the load. Antetokounmpo has been as stellar as usual thus far with 30 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists per game, but the Bucks need Holiday to take better care of the ball. Holiday has totaled 12 assists and 10 turnovers through the first two games.
SUNS AT PELICANS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Losing Booker might be a problem but losing home-court advantage shouldn't for the Suns. They were an NBA-best 32-9 on the road &mdash; just four fewer wins than the Pelicans had total.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Suns' transition defense. Phoenix coach Monty Williams said it was about as bad as it's looked under him in Game 2, when the Suns had 16 fast-break points while shooting nearly 55% from the field
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Pelicans coach Willie Green said Ingram was fine Thursday at practice after rolling his ankle in Game 2.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Mikal Bridges. Without Booker, the Suns are going to need more offense and will hope the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is one of the players who can provide it, while also expecting him to lead a stronger defensive effort against Ingram.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami and AP Sports Writers Paul Newberry in Atlanta and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee.

Injuries make road back to NBA Finals bumpy for Suns, Bucks

DeMar DeRozan scored a career playoff-high 41 points and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to tie their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Zach LaVine had 20 points as the Bulls beat the Bucks for just the second time in their last 19 meetings. The series now heads to Chicago for Game 3 on Friday.
The question facing the defending champion Bucks is whether they&rsquo;ll be close to full strength when the series resumes. Bobby Portis left Wednesday&rsquo;s game with a right eye abrasion after the first quarter and Khris Middleton exited with a sore left knee after slipping midway through the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, putting him one assist from his second career playoff triple-double. Antetokounmpo increased his career postseason point total to 1,715 to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,692) for the most in Bucks history.
Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Bucks. Middleton scored 18 and Jrue Holiday 15.
DeRozan scored eight points during a 13-0 run that began late in the third quarter and gave the Bulls a 96-80 lead with 9:47 remaining. The Bulls still led by 15 before Milwaukee rallied in the final 7 &frac12; minutes.
Lopez converted a three-point play to cut Chicago&rsquo;s lead to 112-109 with 56 seconds left. But after Alex Caruso and Vucevic got offensive rebounds on the Bulls&rsquo; ensuing possession, DeRozan&rsquo;s driving layup made it 114-109 with 18.2 seconds remaining.
After facing an early 16-point deficit in Game 1, the Bulls started much faster this time.
The Bucks committed three turnovers in the game&rsquo;s first 49 seconds and four in the first two minutes as the Bulls built an early 9-0 lead. The Bulls were ahead 29-28 at the end of a first quarter that featured six lead changes.
Chicago maintained a narrow lead before closing the second quarter on a 15-4 run to extend the margin to 65-49.
The Bulls extended the lead to 18 early in the third quarter, before the Bucks rallied with a small lineup featuring Antetokounmpo, Middleton and reserve guards Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and Jevon Carter.
Antetokounmpo led the way as the Bucks went on a 15-2 run to cut the Bulls&rsquo; lead to three late in the third period. But the Bulls responded with 13 straight points and stayed in front the reset of the way.
TIP-INS
Bulls: After shooting a season-low 32.3% and going 7 of 37 from 3-point range in a 93-86 Game 1 loss, the Bulls shot 49.4% and went 12 of 25 from beyond the arc Wednesday. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic shot a combined 21 of 71 overall and 4 of 22 from 3-point range in Game 1. They were a combined 33 of 62 overall and 7 of 14 on 3-point attempts in Game 2. ... Caruso had 10 assists to go along with nine points. ... Patrick Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game with an abdominal strain. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before Game 2 that Hill isn&rsquo;t expected back I the short term and that the team will monitor how the 35-year-old Hill guard progresses over the next &ldquo;handful of days or more,&rdquo; ... The Bucks had 15 turnovers to increase their season total to 36.

DeMar DeRozan's 41 points fueled the Chicago Bulls to a win in Game 2 of its series against the Milwaukee Bucks.