 on 3-pointers.The Bulls played without forward Lauri Markkanen, who will miss four to six weeks with a right hip injury. The 7-footer from Finland had an MRI on Thursday after experiencing soreness for about a week. He had played in all 46 games this season before Friday, averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds.The Kings used a run of 11 straight points in the second quarter to snap a 33-all tie and take a 54-44 halftime lead.The highlight of the first half was a sensational, above-the-rim block by Sacramento's Harry Giles III on a dunk attempt by Shaquille Harrison.Chicago opened the second half with a 12-2 run to tie the score at 56. Later in the third quarter, Denzel Valentine hit a runner in the lane to put the Bulls on top 69-68 - their first lead of the game.The Kings, though, scored the final seven points of the period (two layups by Fox and a 3-pointer by Hield) to take a 75-69 edge into the fourth.Sacramento's lead was back up to 85-73 - matching its biggest to that point - on a basket by Bogdan Bogdanovic with seven minutes remaining. After taking the lead in the third, Chicago managed just four points in the next seven-plus minutes.Bogdanovic put the game away with a five-point possession for a 92-75 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to go. First, he hit a pair of free throws after LaVine and Bulls coach Jim Boylen were assessed technical fouls. Bogdanovic then hit a 3-pointer.TIP-INSKings: After starting the first 44 games of the season, Hield came off the bench. ''We've had however many different starting lineups all season long, and it doesn't matter,'' coach Luke Walton said. ''We're a team, and we're struggling to win games right now, so we're looking to see if different groups give us a better chance of doing that. It's not a punishment to Buddy at all because Buddy's been great.'' Bulls: Markkanen joins a growing list of frontcourt players on the sidelines. Otto Porter Jr. (broken left foot) has been out since early November, Wendell Carter Jr. (sprained right ankle) likely will be out another month and rookie Daniel Gafford has missed the last five games with a dislocated right thumb. ''When it rains it pours, with all of our big men going down,'' said Thaddeus Young, who started in place of Markkanen at power forward.PLAYING IT SAFEMarkkanen said he had no doubt he could play through the pain at its current level, but understood that doing so could make the injury - diagnosed as an early stress reaction - worse. ''I really wanted to play, but at the same time I had to take a step back and think about what was smart,'' he said.UP NEXTKings: At Minnesota on Monday night.Bulls: At Cleveland on Saturday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Jan 23, 2020The Chicago Bulls have followed up each of their past five victories with a loss.The Bulls will try to reverse that trend when they host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.Chicago is coming off a 117-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night and will look to win back-to-back contests for the first time in more than a month.The Bulls have won four of their past seven games while posting a 3-0 record at home."I've said before that we have a hardworking, high-character group of guys who are willing to be coached and willing to work," Bulls coach Jim Boylen recently told reporters. "That's a credit to them. Those are things I think are important." Sacramento is looking to snap a six-game losing streak. The Kings are coming off a 127-106 road defeat to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.A pair of injuries to Marvin Bagley III (foot) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) have hurt Sacramento's depth. Bagley is averaging 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, while Holmes is not far behind with averages of 13.1 points and 8.5 boards.The Kings did get roster help in the form of Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver. Both players made their team debuts Wednesday after arriving in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.Bazemore scored seven points in 16 minutes, while Tolliver did not score in six-plus minutes."Me and Kent both feel exactly the same way -- it's not unfixable," 12-year veteran Tolliver told reporters when asked about the Kings' slump. "It's not something where we feel, '(Oh no), we're just going to have to ride it out.' We really feel we have an opportunity to do something with the guys we have." The Bulls and Kings previously played once this season, with Chicago posting a 113-106 win Dec. 2 in Sacramento. Zach LaVine scored a team-high 28 points for the Bulls, making seven of 13 shots overall and five of seven attempts from beyond the 3-point line.LaVine leads the Bulls with 25.0 points per game. He will try to stay hot against Sacramento after scoring 25 or more points seven times in his past nine games.Buddy Hield led the Kings in the first meeting with the Bulls. He scored 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting but made only three of 13 shots from beyond the arc.Like LaVine, Hield is tops on his team in scoring. He is averaging 20.0 points in his fourth NBA season but has failed to reach 20 points five times in his past seven games.Chicago is 10-14 at home this season. Sacramento is 7-16 on the road.Both teams could use a victory Friday to lighten the mood."There are days that we look really good and we play really good basketball, and sometimes we get stagnant," Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen said. "(We) just have to figure out what it is and make it consistent." --Field Level Media
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