Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan couldn't be stopped by the Clippers on Sunday, as he shot 12-for-16 from the field and 10-for-11 at the foul line to finish with a game-high 35 points in a 100-90 win. He pulled down seven boards and dished out five assists with two turnovers in 38 minutes. DeRozan came back to life here after having a couple of mediocre performances. The Compton, California native has always enjoyed his matchups against the L.A. teams, and he'll have another one on Monday versus the Lakers. DeRozan has averaged a 21-5-5- line in his career against the Lakers.

Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan stayed red-hot in Monday's win over the Nets. DeRozan paced his team in points, pouring in 28 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. The veteran guard continued his aggressive ways on offense, as he's now drained at least seven free throws in each of his last three games played. The early returns on DeRozan have been excellent for Chicago, as he's scored 20-plus points in all but one game while chipping in very efficient numbers across the board. He'll get a great chance to stay hot on Wednesday in a favorable matchup against Dallas.

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan posted his second consecutive 37-point effort during a 103-98 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The 32-year-old also secured 10 boards, an assist, and a steal to go along with the game-high 37 points. DeRozan shot 13-for-22 from the field and went 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. The first-year Bull has averaged over 35 points his past three games while shooting an absurd 64% from the field during that stretch. The four-time All-Star, along with guard Zach LaVine, has co-existed nicely to start the young season, making the pair a dynamic duo for fantasy purposes.

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan had a huge game in the team's 128-114 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday. He shot 15-for-20 from the field on the way to a game-high 37 points. He hit three three-pointers and also added seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. The 32-year-old veteran has now topped 30 points in two straight games and he's averaging 25.6 points per game so far this year, a solid increase on his 21.6 points per game last year. He'll look to stay hot in his next trip to the court against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 21 points in Saturday's slow-burning 97-82 win over the Pistons. He shot 7-for-18 from the field and 7-for-9 at the line, adding six rebounds and six assists to his name with two blocks and two turnovers in 34 minutes. DeRozan's efficiency needs some work, but he's quietly off to a good start to the season, doing a bit of everything for the team. The veteran scorer starts next week with a revenge game against Toronto. DeRozan has averaged a 21-7-8 line in six games against the Raptors since he was traded in 2018.

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan might be asked to move over to the power forward spot to begin the season, according to head coach Billy Donovan. Young forward Patrick Williams (ankle) is expected to miss an extended period of time. The Bulls have a void to fill and moving DeRozan to power forward could make sense. DeRozan played at the four for the San Antonio Spurs last season. He should remain a reliable fantasy option regardless of where he plays.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — After relying heavily on veterans for two decades, the San Antonio Spurs are having growing pains in their transformation to a younger roster. For the first time, San Antonio missed the playoffs for a second straight season after an NBA-record 22 straight appearances. “Unique, roller coaster, weird,” Spurs veteran guard DeMar DeRozan said. “I think those are three things that sum up this season.” The days of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili guiding a veteran roster have given way to Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker learning on the fly through injuries, little practice and a compacted schedule because ot he pandemic. It was one of the most confounding seasons for Gregg Popovich, but also one of the most rewarding in his 25 years as Spurs coach. “If any team needs practices to work on consistency and execution, we did,” Popovich said. “(But) I don’t know if I have ever been more proud of a team that just doesn’t quit. No matter what... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs do not expect starting guard Derrick White back this season because of a sprained right ankle, coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday. White was injured in the Spurs’ win in Washington on Monday. The fourth-year guard is averaging a career-best 15.4 points this season for San Antonio, which played 18 of its first 19 games this season without White because of a toe injury. “You can imagine, his spirits are not high," Popovich said. San Antonio was at Miami on Wednesday night. White is not expected to require surgery. Rookie guard Devin Vassell will take White’s place in the starting lineup, Popovich said. “When he gets minutes, he's played well," Popovich said of Vassell. White has averaged 10.8 points in 188 games over his four seasons in San Antonio. He’s been the Spurs’ third-leading scorer this season behind DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined the San Antonio Spurs $25,000 on Sunday for violating the league's player resting policy — in a game the Spurs won by 26 points. The Spurs sat DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Jakob Poeltl to give them rest on Saturday night in Phoenix. It didn't matter, as six Spurs players scored in double figures in a 111-85 rout of the Suns. According to the league's resting policy, teams should not rest multiple healthy players for the same game. When they do rest healthy players, it is supposed to be in home games. Under Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have long rested players even when they are healthy, one of the reasons the league first implemented a resting policy in 2017. Teams can be fined $100,000 for violating it. ___ More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Gregg Popovich brushed off a question about whether he will return as coach of the San Antonio Spurs after their attempt to set an NBA record for consecutive playoff appearances fell short in the bubble.DeMar DeRozan didn't even get a question about his future because the four-time All-Star guard acquired in the Kawhi Leonard trade had already made it clear he hasn't decided about the player option for the final year of his contract.Waiting back in San Antonio is LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed the restart to have shoulder surgery and will soon rejoin a young group of guards that helped keep alive faint hopes of a record 23rd straight trip to the playoffs longer than expected.“The future is bright,” said Dejounte Murray, one of those young guards. “You’ve got a bunch of young dudes who are willing to learn, willing to put the work in and willing to build the chemistry off the floor and on the floor.”San Antonio (32-39) finished with a losing record for the first time since 1996-97, the year... [More]

The coronavirus numbers kept climbing Thursday, with a single-day record for new cases being set in Florida and the NBA revealing that the count of players and staff from the 22 remaining teams that have confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 continues to grow.The NBA numbers: nine more positive players from tests conducted between June 24-29 to bring the total to 25 who have been positive since mandated testing began June 23, as well 10 positive-testing staff members from the teams that will start arriving at the Disney complex near Orlando, Florida next week for the resumption of the season.And statewide, health departments around Florida got more than 10,000 new positive cases back on Wednesday, a single-day record for a state that remains very much under siege from the virus and likely a troubling sign for the NBA — which remains hopeful that highly restrictive rules at Disney will keep players and staff safe.“It’s so much uncertainty,” San Antonio guard DeMar DeRozan said Thursday. “Name... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love isn't slowing down his push to raise mental health awareness.The Cleveland Cavaliers forward, who has been outspoken in his own struggles with panic attacks and anxiety, committed $500,000 through his foundation to UCLA's psychology department on Monday. Love played one season for the Bruins (2007-08) and he's helping his alma mater's work in diagnosing, preventing, treating and destigmatizing anxiety and depression.Love's gift came one day after he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs for his efforts in mental health.“I hope one day we are able to erase the stigma around anxiety and depression, and we can only do that by improving diagnosis and treatment, fostering public conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when they need it," Love said.Love first went public with his personal battles during the 2018 season. Since then, he has been active in spreading information nationally on mental health issues. Love credited... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love shook off a tough shooting night to make a big 3-pointer in overtime and lift the improving Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff and matched its win total from last season, when... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love made a big 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Sexton scored 26, Larry Nance Jr. 19 and Matthew Dellavedova had 14 and 11 assists. Dellavedova... [More]

The All-Star Game is going to have plenty of new faces.The NBA released the list of the players Thursday voted by the league’s head coaches as reserves for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, including six who will be All-Stars for the first time.Kyle Lowry of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors is headed back to the game, as are Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Houston’s Russell Westbrook and — for the first time since 2016 — Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul.The other reserves are all first-time selections: Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and the Utah duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.“Definitely it is an honor,” Tatum said in a statement. “I am extremely blessed and grateful. Third year, to make the All-Star team, it is a surreal feeling. I’m just very excited and it is a dream come true.”Those six — combined with starters Pascal Siakam,... [More]

Once Russell Westbrook headed to Houston, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to be headed toward a rebuild.The team Westbrook returns to face this week doesn’t look like a team headed for the lottery. It’s playing like one Westbrook might see again in the postseason.The Thunder welcome back their former point guard Thursday, with both doing just fine since going their separate ways last summer.That’s not a surprise for Westbrook, given that he was sent to join former MVP — and one-time Oklahoma City teammate — James Harden on a high-scoring contender. He has scored 20 or more points in 12 straight games, with three straight of at least 30 late last month, and averaged 27.8 in that span to raise his average to 24.1.He said his return would be emotional because of how much Oklahoma City and the organization meant to him, but he didn't want to detail much leading into it. “I don’t want to get that much into before the game and on and on, but after the game we can discuss whatever you... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — If any people came to boo Kawhi Leonard on his return to Toronto, it was sure hard to hear them over all the cheering.Leonard received his championship ring to deafening applause and chants of “MVP! MVP!" before the Los Angeles Clippers visited the Raptors on Wednesday night.Earlier, the three-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP said he was expecting a mix of cheers and boos from Toronto fans who watched him lead the Raptors to a six-game victory over Golden State in June.“There’ll be some cheers but definitely, I think, more boos because they want to win the game,” Leonard said at shootaround. “They don’t want to be cheering for a player that’s on the opposing team.”Leonard's former teammates, along with coaches and team executives, gathered in a circle at center court before tip-off to greet their former star, who signed with the Clippers in free agency.Leonard embraced each player in turn before guard Kyle Lowry presented him with his ring. After slipping it on,... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard expects to hear a mix of cheers and boos when he faces the Toronto Raptors for the first time since helping them win the NBA Finals.Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers make their lone trip north of the border Wednesday to play Toronto. The three-time All-Star and two-time Finals MVP will receive his championship ring in a special pregame ceremony.“There’ll be some cheers but definitely, I think, more boos because they want to win the game,” Leonard said. “They don’t want to be cheering for a player that’s on the opposing team.”Back in Toronto for the first time since his free agency meeting with the Raptors in July, Leonard said he experienced “flashbacks” of that championship run as the Clippers drove to the arena for morning shootaround.“The ride was fun,” Leonard said of his season in Toronto. “I had a great time last year with the coaching staff, the front office, and the players. It was a great experience.“Obviously it was different playing here for a... [More]

Kevin Love knows change could be coming.A couple of years ago, uncertainty might have been something that stressed him out, triggered the sorts of feelings like the ones that manifested themselves in the form of an in-game panic attack in 2017, rendered him unable to compete as efficiently as he wanted.Not this time.Even though he has three full years and about $90 million left on his contract after this season, it's no secret that Love could be traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Plenty of teams even make sense for such a move — Portland, Dallas, Denver, Miami among others.But going public with the details of his panic attack — and his ongoing involvement in the conversation about the need to take care of mental health — has not left Love feeling vulnerable. He's more at peace than anything else, and that's why the rumors that are out there aren't gnawing at him."I'm just going to let the chips fall," Love said. "I know that this is a young team. I think I can help them. I'm going to do... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forgive Gregg Popovich for not being in much of a mood to discuss the current state of the San Antonio Spurs.Fact is, he’s just not used to losing like this.Here’s how long it’s been since the Spurs dropped seven games in a row, the way they now have after DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and the rest of the team were beaten by the lowly Washington Wizards 138-132 on Wednesday night: You have to go all the way back to the 1996-97 season to find such a rut for Pop and Co.That was before Tim Duncan had even played a game for them — and that guy was in the arena Wednesday, sitting on the sideline as an assistant to Popovich. Before Popovich led the franchise to five NBA championships and 22 consecutive playoff appearances. Before folks such as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard had come and gone.After the latest setback, Popovich spoke to reporters only briefly.“All in all, if you score 132 points, you should probably have a pretty good chance to win a game.... [More]