By R.L. Bynum
With news suggesting that Coby White may continue to start for Chicago for a while, he played well again and helped the short-handed Bulls snap a four-game losing streak.
White scored 16 points and tied his career-high with four steals as Chicago took a 117–104 victory Wednesday over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists.
White’s 16.6 game score was his 13th double-digit game score of the season, fifth in a row and 11th in the last 12 games.
Point guard Lonzo Ball and guard Zach LaVine won’t travel with the Bulls as they start a three-game road trip Friday in Milwaukee.
Ball, who missed his third consecutive game with a bone contusion in his left knee, was switched to a new treatment after he didn’t respond well to initial therapy. Coach Billy Donovan said that surgery isn’t in the discussion and the timeline for his return will depend on how the treatment goes.
The Athletic reported Thursday that, according to sources, Ball has a small meniscus tear in his left knee and the Bulls hope that he can play through it. If he can’t, it will require a minor procedure that would sideline him for several weeks.
LaVine is working his way through left knee soreness but his treatment is going well, Donovan said.
Chicago got backcourt help with the return for the first time since Dec. 20 of Alex Caruso, who scored nine points. He missed time with a foot injury and then went on NBA health-and-safety protocols.
The Bulls, who lost by 26 to Brooklyn, 42 to Golden State, two at Boston and 13 at Memphis before Wednesday, are tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat at 28–15.
White’s nice late dunk unfortunately didn’t count.
Tony Bradley contributed four points and six rebounds in 11 minutes for the Bulls.
Ed Davis got into a Cavaliers game for the first time since Dec. 30, a stretch of 10 games, going scoreless in 1 minute, 34 seconds.
Harrison Barnes had a tough shooting night from the floor but attempted a career-high-tying 14 free throws, made 11 and scored 20 points in Sacramento’s 133–131 home loss to Detroit. The Pistons rallied to win with a game-ending 11–0 run to give the Kings (18–29) their seventh loss in nine games.
It was Barnes’ second game this season with that many free throws after making all 11 attempts on Nov. 8 in a 26-point game in a loss to Phoenix. Barnes was 4 of 10 from the floor and 1 of 4 from 3-point range and pulled down two rebounds.
Barnes put up a 12.2 game score for his sixth consecutive double-digit game score.
According to a story in The Philadelphia Inquirer, a source said that Sacramento is considering sending Barnes, Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton and two first-round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle. The story states that the Sixers aren’t interested in that package.
Day’Ron Sharpe battled foul trouble but had an efficient 16 minutes otherwise with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in Brooklyn’s 119–118 victory at Washington. He scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games.
His 15.5 game score was a season-high and the third double-digit game score in the last six games for Sharpe, who started his fifth consecutive game.
The Nets are third in the Eastern Conference at 28–16.
Cole Anthony had 13 points and eight assists but Orlando (8–38) lost 123–110 at Philadelphia for the Magic’s third consecutive defeat and 13th in the last 14 games.
The Sixers’ Danny Green missed his fourth consecutive game with right hip pain.
Nassir Little, who attended UNC’s loss at Miami on Tuesday night, left Portland’s 104–92 win at Miami in the first half with a sore right knee and didn’t return. He started and played 12 minutes, missing all four of his shots — three from 3-point range — with one rebound before leaving the game with an acute patellar tendinopathy/contusion to his right knee.
“[Little] banged it in the last game against Orlando and he wanted to come out and see how it felt today and give us what he had,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “He was a little sore, so he went out. They X-rayed him, and it was clean. Kind of day-to-day, to see how he feels.”
The Blazers are 10th in the Western Conference at 18–26.
There is an interesting story about Little this week in The Athletic. He says he’s a “curious dude” and that it’s all about intellectual exploration for him. He was fifth in the league among NBA players 6–7 or shorter in offensive rebounding coming into Wednesday’s game, and part of that comes from researching what makes a good rebounder.
Reggie Bullock had three points, six rebounds and two assists in Dallas’ 102–98 home win over Toronto. Theo Pinson was with the Mavericks (26–19) but didn’t play.
For the second consecutive game and the fifth time in eight games, Wayne Ellington didn’t get off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers (22–23), this time in a 111–104 home loss to Indiana.
In the G League, Justin Jackson scored 17 points in his Texas Legends’ 113–103 road loss to the Oklahoma City Blue.
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic guard
123–110 loss at Philadelphia — Started; 32 minutes, 13 rebounds, 6–14 FG, 1–5 3FG, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 turnovers, -21, 6.2 game score
Season statistics — 32 games, 18.7 points, 39.9 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 84.7 FT%, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists
Up next — 7 p.m. Friday vs. Los Angeles Lakers; 6 p.m. Sunday vs. Chicago
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Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
133–131 loss vs. Detroit — Started; 33 minutes, 20 points, 4–10 FG, 1–4 3FG, 11–14 FT, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, -13, 12.2 game score
Season statistics — 42 games, 16.3 points, 45.1 FG%, 41.5 3FG%, 83.3 FT%, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Up next — 8 p.m. Saturday at Milwaukee; 7:30 Tuesday at Boston
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Tony Bradley, Chicago Bulls center
117–104 win vs. Cleveland — 11 minutes, 4 points, 2–2 FG, 6 rebounds, +/- of 0, 4.8 game score
Season statistics — 31 games, 3.8 points, 57.1 FG%, 76.5 FT%, 4.3 rebounds, 0.6 of an assist
Up next — 8 p.m. Friday at Milwaukee, ESPN; 6 p.m. Sunday at Orlando
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Reggie Bullock, Dallas Mavericks guard/forward
102–98 win vs. Toronto — 18 minutes, 3 points, 1–4 FG, 1–4 3FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, +3, 4.2 game score
Season statistics — 37 games, 6.4 points, 38.0 FG%, 31.9 3P%, 73.7 FT%, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Up next — 7:30 Thursday vs. Phoenix, TNT; 7:30 Sunday vs. Memphis
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Ed Davis, Cleveland Cavaliers center
117–104 loss at Chicago — 2 minutes, 0 points, -1, 0.0 game score
Season statistics — 13 games, 1.5 points, 75.0 FG%, 16.7 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, 0.1 of an assist
Up next — 8 p.m. Saturday vs. Oklahoma City, NBATV; 7 p.m. Monday vs. New York
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Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers guard
111–104 loss vs. Indiana — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Season statistics — 30 games, 6.4 points, 39.9 FG%, 38.3 3FG%, 4–5 FT, 1.6 rebounds, 0.7 of an assist
Up next — 7 p.m. Friday at Orlando; 6 p.m. Sunday at Miami, NBATV
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Danny Green, Philadelphia 76ers forward
123–110 win vs. Orlando — Missed fourth consecutive game with right hip pain
Season statistics — 29 games, 6.7 points, 40.7 FG%, 38.1 3FG%, 9–10 FT, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Up next — 7 p.m. Friday vs. Los Angeles Clippers; 7 p.m. Sunday at San Antonio
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Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns wing
Off Wednesday
Season statistics — 40 games, 11.9 points, 46.0 FG%, 43.4 3FG%, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Up next — 7:30 Thursday at Dallas, TNT; 9 p.m. Saturday vs. Indiana
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Nassir Little, Portland Trail Blazers wing
104–92 win at Miami — Started; 12 minutes, 0 points, 0–4 FG, 0–3 3PG, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 turnover, -5, -3.2 game score
Season statistics — 38 games, 9.6 points, 45.0 FG%, 31.9 3P%, 74.2 FT%, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Up next — 7:30 Friday at Boston; 6 p.m. Sunday at Toronto
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Theo Pinson, Dallas Mavericks guard
102–98 win vs. Toronto — Didn’t play (coach’s decision)
NBA season statistics — 11 games, 2.3 points, 29.6 FG, 25.0 3FG, 4–4 FT, 1.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists
G League season statistics — 13 games, 15.4 points, 40.6 FG%, 39.2 3FG%, 83.3 FT%, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals
Up next — Legends visit Oklahoma City Blue at 8 p.m. Friday; Mavs at home at 7:30 Thursday vs. Phoenix, TNT
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Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
119–118 win at Washington — Started; 16 minutes, 14 points, 5–6 FG, 4–4 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 fouls, -3, 15.5 game score
Season NBA statistics — 19 games, 6.5 points, 60.0 FG%, 33.3% 3P%, 65.2% FT, 4.4 rebounds, 0.4 of an assist
Season G League statistics — 4 games, 18.0 points, 47.8 FG%, 33.33P%, 85.7 FT%, 9.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 2.6 blocks
Up next — 8:30 Friday at San Antonio; 8 p.m. Sunday at Minnesota
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Coby White, Chicago Bulls guard
117–104 win vs. Cleveland — Started; 38 minutes, 16 points, 5–11 FG, 1–2 3FG, 5–5 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 turnover, +15, 16.6 game score
Season statistics — 25 games, 12.7 points, 46.2 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Up next — 8 p.m. Friday at Milwaukee, ESPN; 6 p.m. Sunday at Orlando
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In the G League
Justin Jackson, Texas Legends (Mavericks affiliate) forward
113–103 loss at Oklahoma City Blue — Started; 40 minutes, 17 points, 5–18 FG, 3–8 3FG, 4–4 FT, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, -13
NBA season statistics — 4 games, 3.8 points, 62.5% FG, 60% 3FG, 1.5 rebounds
G League season statistics for Texas Legends — 14 games, 23.6 points, 46.7% FG, 43.5% 3FG, 80.6 FT%, 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 of a steal
Up next —8 p.m. Friday at Oklahoma City Blue; 5 p.m. Sunday at Iowa Wolves (Minnesota affiliate)
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