Zach LaVine won’t travel with the Chicago Bulls for their three-game trip this week to face the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
The two-time All-Star and his wife, Hunter, are preparing for the birth of their third child. LaVine has missed only five games this season while anchoring the Bulls offense, averaging 24 points and shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.
The Bulls will be heavily short-handed when they take on the reigning NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday night without two of their best players.
Coby White has begun to ramp up after suffering a bone bruise in his left ankle Jan. 19 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Billy Donovan said White began running this week, although he still was experiencing discomfort. White is expected to miss his fifth consecutive game Wednesday but could return for Sunday’s road-trip finale against the Pistons.
In the meantime, the Bulls will look to their bench for young players such as Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and rookie Matas Buzelis to step up in the two stars’ absence.
Angel Reese won’t participate in Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is one of seven players who won’t participate in Unrivaled’s one-on-one tournament in February. The six others opting out are Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot, Stefanie Dolson, Cameron Brink and Natisha Hiedeman.
In addition to its regular season — which features an altered three-on-three format — Unrivaled will host a one-on-one tournament Feb. 10-14. Players will compete for a $350,000 prize pool, including $200,000 for the winner.
Reese is playing for Rose, which has a 1-3 record in Unrivaled’s inaugural season. The third week of competition begins Friday.
Jewell Loyd heads to Las Vegas in blockbuster WNBA trade
The Sky watched from the sideline as Lincolnwood native Jewell Loyd headlined one of the biggest trades ahead of the 2025 WNBA season.
Weeks after reportedly requesting a trade following locker-room fallout in Seattle, Loyd was traded to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team deal that also involved the Los Angeles Sparks. The Storm received the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft and Li Yueru from the Sparks; the Sparks received the No. 9 pick from the Storm and Kelsey Plum from the Aces; and the Aces received the No. 13 pick from the Sparks and Loyd from the Storm.
The Sparks’ decision to trade the No. 2 pick was informed by uncertainty surrounding the draft status of projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Olivia Miles of Notre Dame, both of whom have another year of college eligibility. That could lead to more trades throughout the league as front offices perceive a drop-off in talent and star power after the top two picks.
The Sky, meanwhile, still are hunting for a veteran guard in free agency. Loyd was a top target for an off-ball guard. Now that she’s off the board, the Sky will target other options, including former Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Illinois men’s basketball snaps skid
Consistency remains elusive for the Illinois men’s basketball team, which snapped a two-game skid Sunday with a decisive win over Northwestern.
The Illini withstood a high-volume 3-point shooting game from the Wildcats by dominating the boards and paint. It was a necessary win to maintain their top-20 ranking after a demoralizing blowout loss to unranked Maryland three days earlier.
Player absences have been a factor in the lack of consistency. Illinois played its second consecutive game Sunday without 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivišić, who’s sidelined with mononucleosis.
“I’m not afraid to say it — we can be Final Four good,” coach Brad Underwood said. “But we need to be whole to do that. And we played half a conference season without guys.”
Number of the week: 1.5
Games by which the Bulls led the Philadelphia 76ers entering Tuesday for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 76ers have the NBA’s sixth-easiest remaining schedule, while the Bulls have the 13th-toughest slate ahead of them — with barely a week left before the trade deadline. The Bulls might take a step backward after the deadline as they consider multiple moves to offload some of the top talent on the roster for future draft picks.
The next two weeks before the All-Star break could prove decisive for both teams’ chances of slipping into the play-in tournament.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Wednesday: at Celtics, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Friday: at Raptors, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Sunday: at Pistons, 2 p.m. (CHSN)
- Tuesday: vs. Heat, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Week ahead: Unrivaled
- Friday: Rose (Angel Reese) vs. Phantom, 7:15 p.m. (TNT)
- Saturday: Rose vs. Laces, 7 p.m. (TruTV)
What we’re reading
- Column: The Bulls finally benched Patrick Williams. The decision was long overdue.
- Zach LaVine in a multi-team deal? Nikola Vučević for a first-round pick? Weighing Bulls’ trade options.
- Brad Underwood says Illinois basketball ‘can be Final Four good’ — but this needs to happen first
- Could Lonzo Ball end up being the Bulls’ best trade asset at the deadline?
- Why won’t Bulls coach Billy Donovan give rookie Matas Buzelis more minutes — especially after halftime?
- Why the Sky didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Chennedy Carter, their leading scorer
- Working on a jumper, controlling the dribble: Angel Reese’s development on display in her first Unrivaled games
Quotable
“We’re a confusing team.” — Zach LaVine after the Bulls upset the Denver Nuggets
The Chicago Bulls will be heavily short-handed when they take on the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday without two of their best players.
Zach LaVine won’t travel with the Chicago Bulls for their three-game trip this week to face the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
The two-time All-Star and his wife, Hunter, are preparing for the birth of their third child. LaVine has missed only five games this season while anchoring the Bulls offense, averaging 24 points and shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.
The Bulls will be heavily short-handed when they take on the reigning NBA champion Celtics on Wednesday night without two of their best players.
Coby White has begun to ramp up after suffering a bone bruise in his left ankle Jan. 19 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Billy Donovan said White began running this week, although he still was experiencing discomfort. White is expected to miss his fifth consecutive game Wednesday but could return for Sunday’s road-trip finale against the Pistons.
In the meantime, the Bulls will look to their bench for young players such as Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and rookie Matas Buzelis to step up in the two stars’ absence.
Angel Reese won’t participate in Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is one of seven players who won’t participate in Unrivaled’s one-on-one tournament in February. The six others opting out are Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot, Stefanie Dolson, Cameron Brink and Natisha Hiedeman.
In addition to its regular season — which features an altered three-on-three format — Unrivaled will host a one-on-one tournament Feb. 10-14. Players will compete for a $350,000 prize pool, including $200,000 for the winner.
Reese is playing for Rose, which has a 1-3 record in Unrivaled’s inaugural season. The third week of competition begins Friday.
Jewell Loyd heads to Las Vegas in blockbuster WNBA trade
The Sky watched from the sideline as Lincolnwood native Jewell Loyd headlined one of the biggest trades ahead of the 2025 WNBA season.
Weeks after reportedly requesting a trade following locker-room fallout in Seattle, Loyd was traded to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team deal that also involved the Los Angeles Sparks. The Storm received the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft and Li Yueru from the Sparks; the Sparks received the No. 9 pick from the Storm and Kelsey Plum from the Aces; and the Aces received the No. 13 pick from the Sparks and Loyd from the Storm.
The Sparks’ decision to trade the No. 2 pick was informed by uncertainty surrounding the draft status of projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Olivia Miles of Notre Dame, both of whom have another year of college eligibility. That could lead to more trades throughout the league as front offices perceive a drop-off in talent and star power after the top two picks.
The Sky, meanwhile, still are hunting for a veteran guard in free agency. Loyd was a top target for an off-ball guard. Now that she’s off the board, the Sky will target other options, including former Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Illinois men’s basketball snaps skid
Consistency remains elusive for the Illinois men’s basketball team, which snapped a two-game skid Sunday with a decisive win over Northwestern.
The Illini withstood a high-volume 3-point shooting game from the Wildcats by dominating the boards and paint. It was a necessary win to maintain their top-20 ranking after a demoralizing blowout loss to unranked Maryland three days earlier.
Player absences have been a factor in the lack of consistency. Illinois played its second consecutive game Sunday without 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivišić, who’s sidelined with mononucleosis.
“I’m not afraid to say it — we can be Final Four good,” coach Brad Underwood said. “But we need to be whole to do that. And we played half a conference season without guys.”
Number of the week: 1.5
Games by which the Bulls led the Philadelphia 76ers entering Tuesday for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 76ers have the NBA’s sixth-easiest remaining schedule, while the Bulls have the 13th-toughest slate ahead of them — with barely a week left before the trade deadline. The Bulls might take a step backward after the deadline as they consider multiple moves to offload some of the top talent on the roster for future draft picks.
The next two weeks before the All-Star break could prove decisive for both teams’ chances of slipping into the play-in tournament.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Wednesday: at Celtics, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Friday: at Raptors, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Sunday: at Pistons, 2 p.m. (CHSN)
- Tuesday: vs. Heat, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Week ahead: Unrivaled
- Friday: Rose (Angel Reese) vs. Phantom, 7:15 p.m. (TNT)
- Saturday: Rose vs. Laces, 7 p.m. (TruTV)
What we’re reading
- Column: The Bulls finally benched Patrick Williams. The decision was long overdue.
- Zach LaVine in a multi-team deal? Nikola Vučević for a first-round pick? Weighing Bulls’ trade options.
- Brad Underwood says Illinois basketball ‘can be Final Four good’ — but this needs to happen first
- Could Lonzo Ball end up being the Bulls’ best trade asset at the deadline?
- Why won’t Bulls coach Billy Donovan give rookie Matas Buzelis more minutes — especially after halftime?
- Why the Sky didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Chennedy Carter, their leading scorer
- Working on a jumper, controlling the dribble: Angel Reese’s development on display in her first Unrivaled games
Quotable
“We’re a confusing team.” — Zach LaVine after the Bulls upset the Denver Nuggets
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