#chicago-bulls

#chicago-bulls

Collin Sexton starred in the opening half for Chicago, chipping in 11 points during the first quarter alone to help the Bulls drum up a narrow 30-28 lead.

Thanks to a defense-free 126-110 road loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, our 26-38 Bulls remain in the ninth slot in Tankathon's reverse standings, behind the 23-39 Memphis Grizzlies and the 21-43 Dallas Mavericks.

Giddey has been in the midst of his best season as a pro, averaging 18.6 points while slashing .462/.366/.775, along with 8.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 34 healthy bouts (31 starts). His health probably stopped him from having at least a chance at cracking the Eastern Conference coaches' reserves list for this year's surprisingly watchable All-Star Game.

As the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls have already successfully(?) dropped out of the play-in tournament bracket. Chicago could struggle to catch the Memphis Grizzlies (20-33), Dallas Mavericks (19-35), Utah Jazz (18-38), Brooklyn Nets (15-38), Indiana Pacers (15-40), New Orleans Pelicans (15-41), Washington Wizards (14-39), or DeMar DeRozan's Sacramento Kings (12-44), meaning at best the Bulls will have the ninth-best shot at a top pick.

Our Chicago Bulls have acquired an actual center! Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Chicago is being incorporated into an extant deal, and will now obtain 28-year-old reserve big man Nick Richards from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for just-acquired former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng - as part of a three-team trade with the Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. This story will be updated...

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports that the Clippers have chatted extensively with the Cleveland Cavaliers about a potential blockbuster deal that would see the Cavs net James Harden in exchange for two-time Cleveland All-Star point guard Darius Garland. Yahoo Sports' Kelly Iko verifies the mutual interest in a possible deal. The possible trade for a 36-year-old Harden would hinge on LA attaching future draft equity in a move, according to The Athletic's Tony Jones, Dan Woike, Sam Amick and Law Murray.

The latest smoke: Stefan Bondy of The New York Post listed Dosunmu as "a name to watch" for the New York Knicks ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline - but cautions that Chicago may have a steep asking price for the sixth man. Bondy isn't the only Knicks beat reporter floating the possibility of Dosunmu for New York at the deadline. The Athletic's James L. Edwards III also makes the connection,

Sochan has fallen to the fringes of head coach Mitch Johnson's rotation - he's essentially only a mop-up minutes guy or an injury sub. The 6-foot-8 Baylor product has seen his minutes slashed from 25.3 to 13.1 this season,