Chuck Checks In
BULLS UPDATE: Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn injured his right knee in the first quarter of Friday night's game at the Brooklyn Nets. He underwent an MRI and clinical exam at Rush Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 1 which confirmed the initial diagnosis of a medial collateral ligament sprain. Dunn will be reexamined following an initial two-week phase of immobilization and physical therapy. The definitive treatment and timetable will be determined over that time frame as symptoms improve.
ZACH LAVINE SELECTED TO 2020 MTN DEW 3-POINT CONTEST: The NBA announced tonight that Zach LaVine has been selected to participate in the 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night. This is the first time a Bull has been selected to participate in the 3-point contest since Steve Kerr won the event in 1997. LaVine has started in all of the Bulls' 52 games this season, and the 24-year-old is averaging career-highs in points (24.9), rebounds (4.9) and steals (1.40) to go along with 4.1 assists and 34.4 minutes. He has made a career-best 154 3-pointers (8th in the NBA), which is already the seventh-highest total of 3-point field goals made in a single season by a Bull in team history. LaVine's 3-point percentage of 37.6 is tied for the second-best in the league among players who have attempted at least 400 shots beyond the arc. In his 49-point performance at Charlotte on Nov. 23, LaVine made a career-high 13 3-pointers, the only player to own that many makes from three in a single game this season. He leads the Bulls in scoring, field goals made and attempted, 3-pointers made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played. LaVine has led the Bulls in scoring a team-high 38 times in 2019-20, as well as in rebounds nine times, assists 16 times and minutes 30 times. The 34th MTN DEW 3-Point Contest is part of State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night, which also features the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge and AT&T Slam Dunk. Joining LaVine in the 3-point contest is Davis Bertans (Wizards), Devonte' Graham (Hornets), Joe Harris (Nets), Buddy Hield (Kings), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Duncan Robinson (Heat), and Trae Young (Hawks). All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star 2020 will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.
The 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest features a new look with the addition of two shots in the "MTN DEW Zone" – two locations positioned equidistant between the traditional racks at the top of the 3-point arc and the adjacent "wing" rack. Each of the two ball pedestals in the MTN DEW Zone is located 6 feet behind the 3-point line and holds one special green ball, the "3-Ball." Shots made with the green ball are worth three points. In addition to the two new shots, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will continue to have five main shooting locations – four racks containing four official NBA game balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored "money" ball (worth two points) as well as one special "all money ball" rack. Every ball on the all money ball rack, which each participant can place at any of the five traditional shooting locations, is worth two points. With the addition of the MTN DEW Zone, the number of balls in a round has increased to 27 from 25, the amount of time in a round has expanded to 70 seconds (1:10) from 60 seconds (1:00) and the maximum possible score in a round has risen to 40 points from 34 points. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. The player with the highest score in the championship round is the winner of the 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest. Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Milwaukee 120, New Orleans 108: The focus...Giannis. Vs Zion...Giannis Antetokounmpo: 34-17-6. Zion Williamson: 20-7-5. He went 5-18 from the field and faced double teams throughout the game.
Houston 125, Charlotte 110: The Rockets won their third straight as James Harden nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 40-9-11. The Hornets have lost four straight and 12 of 13 games.
Denver 127, Portland 99: The Nuggets put the clamps on the "blazing" hot Damian Lillard holding him to 23 points, ending his string of eight straight games of at least 30 points per contest.
Los Angeles Lakers 129, San Antonio 102: LeBron James nailed five three-pointers in a three-minute span lifting the Lakers to a season series sweep. The Spurs have dropped five of seven.
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