Bulls beat Cavs, 2015 NBA All-Star set to begin

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose didn’t garner an All-Star berth, but he starred on Thursday in the league’s last game before the mid-season showcase.

Rose scored 30 points and handed out seven assists to lead the Bulls to a 113-98 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tony Snell contributed 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting for the Bulls and Pau Gasol — who did get an All-Star nod — notched his 14th straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Joakim Noah added 10 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists for Chicago, who head into the All-Star break leading the Cavs by 1 1/2 games atop the Central Division.

— AFP

Paul Millsap, Elfrid Payton, Dennis Schroder added to All-Star Saturday night

Atlanta Hawks All-Star forward Paul Millsap will replace injured All-Star forward Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans in the Shooting Stars during All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In addition, Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton will replace the injured Michael Carter-Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers and Hawks guard Dennis Schröder will replace Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls in Saturday night’s Skills Challenge. Butler, an All-Star guard, is resting his strained right shoulder.

Both events will be televised exclusively by TNT, which starts its coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Degree Shooting Stars features four teams composed of one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and an NBA legend competing in a two-round, timed shooting competition. The Skills Challenge, an obstacle-course competition that tests dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills, showcases a head-to-head, bracket-style tournament format for the first time.

Millsap, one of a record-tying four 2015 All-Stars for Atlanta, is averaging 16.8 points, a team-high 7.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 53 games. The two-time All-Star will be teamed with six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and two-time WNBA All-Star Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky in the Degree Shooting Stars.

Payton, the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January, leads all rookies in assists (5.7 apg) and ranks second in steals (1.55 spg) to go with 7.9 points in 56 games. His first-round opponent in the eight-player Taco Bell® Skills Challenge will be All-Star guard Jeff Teague of Atlanta.

Schröder, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft presented by State Farm, is averaging 8.5 points and 3.5 assists in 52 games for the Hawks. His first-round opponent will be All-Star guard Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. Schröder and Payton will also play in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13, at Barclays Center.

Robert Covington, Matthew Dellavedova and Kostas Papanikolaou added to 2015 Rising Stars Challenge

Robert Covington, Matthew Dellavedova and Kostas Papanikolaou added to 2015 Rising Stars Challenge

Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova and Houston Rockets forward Kostas Papanikolaou have been added to the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Covington and Dellavedova replace injured U.S. Team selection Michael Carter-Williams of the 76ers and injured World Team selection Kelly Olynyk of the Boston Celtics, respectively. Papanikolaou replaces the Denver Nuggets’ Jusuf Nurkic, who was originally chosen to replace the injured Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder on the World Team. Nurkic is unable to play for personal reasons.

The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star 2015 features a new format that pits first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against first- and second-year NBA players from around the world.

Covington, who was signed by the 76ers on Nov. 15, 2014, has appeared in 43 games this season, averaging 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. Undrafted out of Tennessee State in 2013, Covington spent his rookie season with the Houston Rockets and was named the NBA Development League Rookie of the Year for 2013-14, based on his performance while on assignment with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Dellavedova, an Australia native, is in his second NBA season after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s in 2013. He is shooting 41.1 percent (37-of-90) from three-point range and averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 assists in 20.3 minutes over 39 games, including nine starts.

Papanikolaou, the 48th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft and a native of Greece, spent the past two seasons playing overseas before signing with the Rockets in September 2014. He has appeared in 39 games this season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes.

TNT will exclusively televise the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. ET. BBVA Compass is the official bank of the NBA in the United States and maintains its role as title partner for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge.

Sacramento Kings, George Karl have head coaching job agreement

Sacramento Kings, George Karl have head coaching job agreement

Sacramento Kings, George Karl have head coaching job agreement

The Sacramento Kings today have reached an agreement in principle with George Karl, the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,131 career victories, to become the team’s head coach, according to General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

A press conference formally introducing Karl will be scheduled when the agreement is finalized.

Kings remove Tyrone Corbin as head coach, keep him as advisor

Kings remove Tyrone Corbin as head coach, keep him as advisor

Kings remove Tyrone Corbin as head coach, keep him as advisor

The Sacramento Kings announced today that Tyrone Corbin has been relieved of his head coaching duties, according to General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

Corbin will continue working with the organization and has chosen to serve as an advisor to the front office.

“I have the utmost respect for Tyrone as a coach and person,” said D’Alessandro. “He’s a man of great integrity, a consummate professional that managed a difficult situation with class and professionalism. I look forward to continuing to work with Tyrone moving forward.”

Jeff Teague reps the Hawks, but also the city of Indianapolis

Jeff Teague reps the Hawks, but also the city of Indianapolis

Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague is putting up 17.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game for the 43-11 squad. He’s been named to the 2015 East NBA All-Star team as a reserve. So of course he reps the Hawks. But he’s also an important basketball figure for his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

Jeff Teague reps the Hawks, but also the city of Indianapolis

It’s All-Star Weekend, and while the Pacers don’t have any representatives at this year’s game, there’s one participant that should be of particular interest for Indianapolis basketball fans.

Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, a Pike grad, was selected to his first All-Star Game after leading the Hawks to the East’s best record, highlighted by a 19-game win streak.

So why should you care about Teague’s selection?

Well, because he’s the first Indianapolis-bred All-Star since George McGinnis in 1979.

Yup, that’s right, it’s been 36 long years since a player from the largest city in a state synonymous with basketball has been an All-Star.

That’s not to say there haven’t been good basketball players to come from Indy during that time. Both Mike Conley (Lawrence North) and Gordon Hayward (Brownsburg) are playing at an All-Star level this season but found cracking the Western Conference roster a task too tall.

Chris Bosh needs to step up on the glass

Here’s the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporting on the Heat, who have enjoyed the production of center Hassan Whiteside but could use more help on the glass from All-Star Chris Bosh:

Chris Bosh needs to step up on the glass

Then there is Bosh’s rebounding. He has had three or fewer in three of the past five games.

Part of that has been the vacuum-like rebounding of emerging center Hassan Whiteside. Part of it has been a lack of needed aggression.

“I’ll start doing more on the boards,” he said. “If I have to, I’ll start fighting Hassan for ’em, too, because that’s about two or three a game that I miss now on.

“It’s been a struggle. It’s been a struggle. I’m just making sure I’m keeping my head and move forward no matter what happens.”

Pistons sign John Lucas III to second 10-day contract

Pistons sign John Lucas III to second 10-day contract

Detroit Pistons General Manager Jeff Bower announced today that the club has signed guard John Lucas III to a second 10-day contract.

The 5-foot-11, 166-pound guard has averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 assists and 12.8 minutes in six games with Detroit. He scored a season-high 10 points at Indiana (2/4) and has dished out a season-high six assists twice.

Originally signed on February 2, Lucas joined the Pistons following a stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 43.5 minutes in 26 games.

The Washington, DC native has spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. He holds career averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 216 games (eight starts) and is a career 34.7-percent shooter from three-point range.

Lucas has also spent time in the NBA’s Developmental League and played internationally in Italy, Spain and China. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State University.

Dirk Nowitzki replaces Anthony Davis (injured) on 2015 West NBA All-Star team

Dirk Nowitzki replaces Anthony Davis (injured) on 2015 West NBA All-Star team

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Western Conference All-Star Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Nowitzki, who has posted averages of 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in his 17th NBA season, will be making his 13th All-Star appearance. The highest-scoring player born outside the United States in NBA history, Nowitzki surpassed Moses Malone for seventh place on the league’s all-time scoring list last month.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, who earned the right to coach the West squad because the Warriors clinched the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 1, will determine Davis’ replacement in the starting lineup.

Davis was also in the field for the Degree® Shooting Stars during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center. His replacement will be named at a later time.

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who is recovering from a right shoulder sprain, released the following statement:

“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions. I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.

While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete this weekend, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA’s greatest figures.

More than anything, I am anxious to get healthy and back on the court with my teammates after the All-Star break.”