LaMelo Ball was so excited after delivering a knockout blow to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament that he carried it over to his victory celebration, delivering two jabs to the oversized head of Charlotte Hornets mascot Hugo.

LaMelo Ball made a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer, and the Charlotte Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the NBA’s play-in games, eliminating the Heat from the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, ending a six-year run that produced just one playoff appearance.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls.

The Charlotte Hornets are bringing Coby White back home to North Carolina, where he is the state’s career high school scoring leader and played for the Tar Heels.

The game between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Thursday was postponed after a nearly two-hour delay due to condensation on the court.

Matas Buzelis scored 28 points to lead nine Chicago players in double figures and the Bulls outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 152-150 on Sunday in the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season.

It’s now reasonable to think that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in this season’s balloting for the NBA MVP award.

Tyler Herro went from raising eyebrows with a shot he missed to turning heads one week later with all the baskets he made.

Darius Garland scored 28 points, Evan Mobley had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 135-113 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Josh Giddey thought the ball was going in as soon as his buzzer-beating halfcourt heave left his fingertips.

Josh Giddey made a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to cap perhaps the wildest finish in the NBA this season, giving the Chicago Bulls a 119-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Coby White scored 36 points, Josh Giddey flirted with a quadruple-double and the Chicago Bulls wrecked LeBron James’ return from injury with an impressive 146-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jimmy Butler is off to a good start with Golden State.

Stephen Curry scored 34 points and tied a season high with eight 3-pointers, Jimmy Butler added 25 points in his Golden State debut and the Warriors rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls 132-111.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls in an NBA Cup game.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins.

Lonzo Ball got a rousing ovation in his long-awaited return for the Chicago Bulls after being sidelined for nearly three years because of a knee injury.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated with 46 points and 16 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 113-97 on Friday night.

Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and the Miami Heat capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 in an Eastern Conference playoff opener featuring two notable injuries.

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, Zach LaVine added 22 and the Chicago Bulls stopped Boston’s nine-game win streak, beating the Celtics 121-107.

Jalen Suggs nailed a wild 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 108-107 after blowing a 19-point lead.

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.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

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

Ja Morant scored a career-high 46 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies hung on to beat DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls 116-110.

Devin Booker scored 38 points, and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124.

Joel Embiid dominated with 40 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame DeMar DeRozan’s season-high, 45-point game for Chicago to beat the Bulls 119-108 on Sunday.

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

Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points, Stephen Curry added 19 and the Golden State Warriors rolled to their most lopsided win of the season, dominating the Chicago Bulls 138-96.

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

DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Houston Rockets 133-118.

Russell Westbrook had a short stay in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

The NBA has postponed the Chicago Bulls’ next two games, with 10 of the team’s players in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Bulls star Zach LaVine and backup forward Troy Brown Jr. have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, giving Chicago nine players on the list.

The Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors canceled their Thursday practices, citing an abundance of caution because of COVID-19 protocols.

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Zach LaVine added 26 in the Chicago Bulls’ 121-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

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

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Thaddeus Young during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Davis dominated with a season-high 37 points against his hometown team, LeBron James added 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 101-90 on Saturday. Davis scored 26 points in the highest scoring half by a Laker this season as Los Angeles grabbed a 63-33 lead. Bulls: Chicago shot 39 about percent from the field and made 8 of 25 3-pointers. Bulls: Chicago hosts Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots between Chicago Bulls guard Garrett Temple (17) and forward Lauri Markkanen during overtime of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)OKLAHOMA CITY – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 33 points and dropped 10 assists to help Oklahoma City beat the Chicago Bulls and former Thunder coach Billy Donovan 127-125 in overtime Friday night. Donovan knew all too well how good Oklahoma City can be under challenging circumstances. ... Oklahoma City scored 19 points off Chicago's nine turnovers in the third quarter. ... Oklahoma City shot 56% in the third quarter and outscored the Bulls 37-27.

The Lakers, who beat Miami to win the championship Oct. 11, start the new season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Also on Wednesday, Chicago beat Oklahoma City 124-103, and Portland played at Denver. BULLS 124, THUNDER 103At Oklahoma City, the Bulls took control in the second quarter and didn’t let up. LaVine scored 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first quarter while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 for Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City couldn’t get into a flow, but part of that was because first-year coach Mark Daigneault gave minutes to 13 players.