DETROIT (AP) — With his team in a slump that threatened to derail a once-promising season, Stan Van Gundy boldly put the Detroit Pistons on a new path.Where it will lead is anyone's guess.The trade that brought Blake Griffin to the Pistons includes plenty of risk. The 6-foot-10 forward with an All-Star pedigree has a lengthy highlight reel and an injury history to match. But in his fourth season as Detroit's coach and team president, Van Gundy wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. If healthy, Griffin is the type of player who could lift this franchise significantly — and not just this season."The hardest thing to do in this league is to get a proven star," Van Gundy said Tuesday. "You get very few opportunities to do it."Detroit has made the playoffs once under Van Gundy, but when the Pistons lost their eighth straight game Sunday, this season seemed to be slipping away. Detroit has looked lost without injured point guard Reggie Jackson, and although center Andre Drummond is signed... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry returned from an 11-game absence due to an ankle injury and set an NBA season-high by hitting 10 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-128 on Saturday.In his first game since Dec. 4, Curry scored 38 points on 13 of 17 shooting. He made 10 of 13 as Golden State (29-8) shot 54.5 percent (18 of 33) from behind the arc and 58.8 percent overall.Klay Thompson added 21 and hit five 3-pointers while Kevin Durant contributed 20 for the defending champions.Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies (11-25) with 27 points while Tyreke Evans added 22 as Memphis shot 52.1 percent and 71.4 percent (15 of 21) from 3-point range.Jazz 104, Cavaliers 101SALT LAKE CITY -- Rookie Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Utah held off Cleveland.Derrick Favors added 19 while Ricky Rubio totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as Utah (16-21) beat Cleveland for the fourth straight time.LeBron James turned 33 and played for the seventh time on his birthday.... [More]

WASHINGTON -- LeBron James registered his fourth triple-double in five games with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists as the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Washington Wizards 106-99 on Sunday night.Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 25 points, while Jeff Green had 15 points. Cleveland has won 18 of 19 games, including the past five.Little separated the Eastern Conference contenders for much of the game as the teams were tied at the end of the second and third quarters. James's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter put the Cavaliers in front for good and sparked an 8-0 run. Green's three-point play capped the surge as Cleveland led 95-89 with 6:55 remaining.Bradley Beal scored 27 points for the Wizards, who had won two in a row. John Wall had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Washington made 12 3-pointers but finished 9 of 16 on free throws.Pistons 114, Magic 110DETROIT -- Reggie Bullock scored a career-high 20 points, and Detroit held off a late surge by undermanned Orlando.Bullock, who... [More]

Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis and Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Bullock were each suspended five games without pay for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy, the league announced Friday.The suspensions begin during the 2017-18 regular season.Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was disappointed in Ellis' suspension."Monta's suspension is a very serious matter to our franchise and it will be dealt with accordingly," Pritchard said in a statement.Ellis, 31, averaged 8.5 points last season, his lowest output since his rookie season (2005-06).Bullock, 26, averaged 4.5 points in 31 games for Detroit last season.

The Detroit Pistons exercised the team options on the contracts of guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and forward Reggie Bullock, while requesting waivers on guard Ryan Boatright.Caldwell-Pope has averaged 9.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 162 games through his first two NBA seasons, while Bullock was acquired from the Phoenix Suns in July. Bullock averaged 10.7 points and 1.8 assists in six preseason games. Bullock was originally a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013.Boatright, an undrafted rookie out of Connecticut, was signed Friday after averaging 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 13.9 minutes in four preseason games with the Brooklyn Nets.

Bullock was traded from the Suns to the Pistons on Thursday, Yahoo! Sports reports. Marcus Morris and Danny Granger were also sent to the Pistons, and the Suns received a second-round pick and cap space in return.

Bullock was buried on the Clippers' bench as a rookie two seasons ago and then again buried on the bench with the Suns last season, but at 6-7, 205 pounds, Bullock has great size for a shooting guard in the NBA. Coach/president Stan Van Gundy is stockpiling wing players who have good size and who can guard multiple positions. Bullock fits that mold, and he should get at least a little more run on the Pistons than he did on his last two teams.

Bullock was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Phoenix Suns in January. In 11 regular season games with the Suns he averaged 0.4 points, 0.2 assists, 0.9 rebounds, 0.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 6.8 minutes per game in 2014-15.

In his sophomore year, Bullock didn't make much noise in the NBA, getting ample minutes with the Clippers before being traded to the Suns. Following the trade, he bounced between the Suns' roster and the D-League affiliate team in Bakersfield for the rest of the season. If Brandon Knight departs in free agency then Bullock could see more minutes at shooting guard, but he's still behind Gerald Green in the lineup, so as a bench player his production is limited for fantasy use.

Bullock (concussion) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game, ArizonaSports.com's Craig Grialou reports.

The Suns will have between eight and nine available bodies for Tuesday's season finale, which will mean a lot of playing time for Archie Goodwin and P.J. Tucker on the wing. Bullock will have to work this offseason to become a better defender and an even better shooter in hopes of establishing a more solid role on an NBA team in 2015-16.

Bullock (concussion) is questionable to play Tuesday against the Clippers, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bullock sustained the concussion Friday in New Orleans, and, per league protocol, was held out Sunday in San Antonio. At this point, it's looking like he'll be a game-time decision, as he'll need to pass all baseline concussion tests before being given the green light.

Bullock (concussion) will not play in Sunday's game against the Spurs, The Arizona Republic reports.

Bullock should be considered day-to-day moving forward as he continues to deal with ill effects from a concession that he suffered in Friday's game. His next opportunity to play will be against the Clippers on Tuesday.

Bullock has a concussion and will not return to Friday's game.

With the season a few days from being over, Bullock could be shut down. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Bullock was assigned to Bakersfield of the NBA's D-League on Saturday, the Arizona Republic reports.

Since his arrival in Phoenix on Jan. 15, Bullock has appeared in just two of a possible 11 contests as a member of the Suns. Meanwhile, in a two-game stint with the Jam to conclude January, the third-year guard averaged 25.5 points (on 48 percent shooting), 10.5 rebounds, three three-pointers, 2.5 assists, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes.

Bullock came off the bench for two minutes against Portland on Thursday.

Bullock rarely sees time on the court in Phoenix and will likely see another stint in the D-League in short order. As a result, the 23-year-old is only a last resort option in standard formats.

Bullock was recalled by the Suns on Sunday, The Arizona Republic reports.

Bullock has only played for three total minutes since getting traded to the Suns and there's no reason to believe he'll be afforded much time on the court moving forward. As a result, he should be left on the waiver wire in almost every depth of format.

Bullock was assigned to Bakersfield of the D-League on Thursday, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bullock will head to the D-League for the first time his career. The North Carolina product has appeared in only one game since coming over from the Clippers in a trade earlier in the month.

Bullock made his Phoenix debut on Sunday, but failed to score any points on the one shot he took in the game. He did manage to get a block in the three minutes of court time he saw though.

Bullock was unfortunately traded to the most loaded backcourt in the NBA and will have a hard time finding minutes. He may get some minutes at small forward, but it's hard to tell what role he's going to have on this team at this point in the season.

Bullock wasn't active for Friday's game against the Timberwolves, his first chance to play for the Suns after being traded Thursday.

Bullock was came to Phoenix in a trade that went Austin Rivers to the Clippers and Shavlik Randolph to the Celtics. When he's active, he'll likely have to compete against T.J. Warren and Zoran Dragic for playing time. His next chance to make his Suns' debut will be Monday when they take on the Lakers.

Bullock was traded to the Suns on Thursday in a three-way deal that sent Austin Rivers to the Clippers and Shavlik Randolph to the Celtics, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.

Bullock has been buried on the bench for most of his season-and-a-half with the Clippers, but the former North Carolina standout should have more opportunities to see the floor with the Suns. He projects as the third shooting guard behind Goran Dragic and Gerald Green, but Bullock can also shift up to small forward, and he'll likely see time at both spots. In 25 games for the Clippers this season, Bullock averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from three.

Bullock (ankle) will be available for Saturday's game against the Bucks, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Friday's absence marked Bullock's fifth as a result of the ankle, but he will be available for minimal playing time off the bench Saturday. The 23-year-old is averaging 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 steals in 10.0 minutes so far this season (12 games).

Bullock (ankle) is probable for Saturday's game, the Orange County Register's Dan Woike reports.

He was held out of Friday's game with an ankle injury, but he should be ready to provide minimal minutes off the bench again Saturday.