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By Fred Mitchell

Kirk Hinrich has been suspended for one game after bumping into referee Bennie Adams Friday night when he was ejected with his second technical foul.

Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, announced Saturday that Hinrich will serve his suspension on Tuesday, when the Bulls face the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro had insisted the bump was inadvertent.

Sole Collector reports: Bulls rookie Taj Gibson has been wearing the Nike's Air Max Rise lately. And he's a fan. And so are his feet.

"It's a good shoe. I got them from the All-Star game. Nike gave me a couple of pair and they've really helped my feet because I have plantar faciitis in both my feet. So, it's been real good for my feet."

Maybe he should give them to Joakim Noah?

"At first, when I got in the NBA, I loved colors and style, but after playing in so many games, it's all about taking care of your feet."

Get the full story at solecollector.com.

By Fred Mitchell

After the Heat's Dwyane Wade appeared to travel underneath the basket before being fouled by Brad Miller, the Bulls were assessed a flagrant foul. Hinrich argued vehemently and was assessed a technical. Miller also was assessed a technical. When Hinrich continued to argue and charge the officials, he was ejected. Hinrich appeared to make contact with referee Bennie Adams.

The Bulls trailed Miami 50-49 at the half, but Miami became the 10th straight opponent to score at least 100 points against them.

The Heat were led by Jermaine O'Neal with 17 points and Quentin Richardson with 14 at the intermission.

By Fred Mitchell

MIAM -- Miami has opened up a 79-65 lead over the Bulls at the end of the third period.

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro was assessed his second technical foul in as many nights with 7:52 left in the third quarter.

"I think the aggressive team wins. And we had some early foul trouble (Thursday) night....you're competitive, you want to win and do whatever you can when things aren't going your way," Del Negro said before the game.

Jermaine O'Neal had a game-high 25 points at the end of the third quarter. Quentin Richardson added 17 and Dwayne Wade 13.

The Bulls were led by center Brad Miller with 18 points at the end of three. James Johnson was next with 15.

By Fred Mitchell

MIAMI -- The Bulls trailed the Miami Heat 50-49 at the half Friday night at the American Airlines Arena.

Coach Vinny Del Negro started James Johnson and Taj Gibson at forwards; Brad Miller in the middle and Jannero Pargo and Kirk Hinrich at guards. Johnson led the Bulls with 14 first-half points. Gibson and Miller each had 8.

The Heat were led by Jermaine O'Neal with 17 points and Quentin Richardson with 14 at the intermission.

Miami led 28-22 at the end of the first period as Miami shot 59 percent from the field. Chicago native Richardson scored 12 first-period points to propel the Heat, who entered the game with a 1 1/2-game lead on the Bulls for the eighth playoff slot in the Eastern Conference.

Tribune News Services

MIAMI -- Heat forward Michael Beasley missed Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls with a bruised left thigh.

Beasley is Miami's second-leading scorer this season, averaging 15.3 points. Joel Anthony, often the team's backup center, started in Beasley's place.

He was injured against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

The NBA has signed off on Michael Jordan's bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats, and commissioner David Stern expects the league's board of governors to approve the purchase by the end of next week.

Stern told the Associated Press he expects the vote to pass "very easily." Jordan will become the first ex-player to own an NBA team and the second black majority owner. He'll replace the first, Bob Johnson, who has lost tens of millions of dollars annually.

"He considers himself a North Carolina native and he's quite anxious to make this team into an important part of the community," Stern said. "I think he has the capacity and the will to do that. I think he's the right majority owner at the right time."

Photo: Michael Jordan watches son Jeff and Illinois beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis on Friday.  (Jonathan Daniel/Getty)

By Fred Mitchell

ORLANDO -- Derrick Rose had his wrist X-rayed and reportedly had it placed in a sling. He remained in the training room and declined to talk to reporters after the game.

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said Rose will have an MRI on the wrist Friday in Miami to determine the extent of the injury.

"He said he felt sore, stiff, disappointed. You could tell he was a little disappointed and upset," said Del Negro. "Hopefully the MRI will show that it is just a sprained wrist and then we will make a decision for (Friday) and going forward."

Howard added that he has warned Rose about driving the lane with his body out of control.

By Fred Mitchell

ORLANDO -- Bulls starters Joakim Noah (foot) and Luol Deng (calf) sat out Thursday's nationally-televised mismatch. Then All-Star guard Derrick Rose suffered an injury to his left wrist late in the first period when he was fouled hard by imposing All-Star center Dwight Howard.

Rose had his wrist X-rayed and reportedly had it placed in a sling by halftime.

"That is why they are one of the best defensive teams in the league, because they can control the paint with (Howard)," said Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.

Orlando captured its seventh straight victory and the Bulls dropped their sixth in a row.

Orlando led 65-33 at the half, converting 62 percent of their shots while the Bulls sank just 32 percent. Orlando also out-rebounded the Bulls 24-12 in the first half.

Get the full story here | Game photos

By Fred Mitchell

With All-Star guard Derrick Rose out of the game and undergoing an X-ray examination of his injured left wrist, the Bulls trailed Orlando 79-51 at the end of three periods.

The Bulls, who haven't lost six straight since Nov. 14-24, 2006, have lost four in a row in Orlando by an average of 19.3 points.

The Bulls are in the midst of a five-team battle for the final four playoff spots in the East. The Bulls next four opponents are all playoff contenders.

Vince Carter had 21 points at the end of three periods for Orlando, and Matt Barmes had 14.

Rookie Taj Gibson led the Bulls with 12 points at the end of three periods.

By Fred Mitchell

ORLANDO -- The Bulls lost Derrick Rose for the entire game with a sprained left wrist in the first quarter as the Magic stormed out to a 65-33 halftime lead.

For the second straight encounter with Orlando, Rose took a hard foul from center Dwight Howard. With 55 seconds left in the first quarter, Rose drove toward the basket and fell hard after the collision. At the end of the period, Rose was taken to the locker room.

"That is why they are one of the best defensive teams in the league, because they can control the paint with (Howard)," said Del Negro before the contest at the Amway Arena.

By Fred Mitchell

The Bulls trailed 28-17 to the Orlando Magic at the end of the first period Thursday night.

More troubling was the fact that All-Star guard Derrick Rose was knocked to the floor by Magic center Dwight Howard and sprained his left wrist.

He remained in the game for the final 55 seconds of the first period. But he was taken to the locker room at the end of the quarter. CSN is reporting Rose will have x-rays. He will not return tonight.

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Looks like Brandon Bass will continue to be the first power forward off the bench for the Orlando Magic at least for as long as the Magic continue to win.

Bass has played in six consecutive games, all Magic victories, as the primary backup to starter Rashard Lewis.

"A lot of times what I've been doing now with some of these teams is having Rashard start the second quarter so I can sort of see who the other team is going to play," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday. "But we've won six in a row, and it's been Brandon playing. So, when you're going real well, I'm a little hesitant to sort of break up what's going on. So, he'll probably be the guy back in here again tomorrow [tonight against the Chicago Bulls]. That doesn't mean that the other guy won't get in there, but right now, I'm not going to break up what we're doing."

Get the full story at orlandosentinel.com.

Only one of these players will be healthy for the two-game Florida trip. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

Luol Deng, Brad Miller and Taj Gibson sat out Wednesday's Bulls practice at the Berto Center.

Deng underwent an MRI exam on his strained right calf Wednesday morning, which revealed a "Grade 1 or 2" strain, according to coach Vinny Del Negro. Deng suffered the injury in Tuesday's loss to the Jazz. He will travel to Florida, where the Bulls play back-to-back games against the Magic and Heat Thursday and Friday. But Del Negro said it's unlikely Deng will play in either game.

"I think he's going to be out for a little bit," Del Negro said.

Miller typically gets practice days off to rest but also banged his thumb in Tuesday's game, although he is expected to play. Gibson's plantar fasciitis has been acting up and Del Negro said Gibson might not play.

"I'm having a harder time fighting through it," Gibson said late Tuesday. "It's been affecting me more lately, so I'm trying to block it out."

Good luck trying to predict the Bulls' starting lineup against the Magic.

Hakim Warrick soars to the hoop in a game devoid of Bulls' highlights or defense. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

The Bulls' losing streak stands at five after their 132-108 loss to the Jazz Tuesday night at United Center.

They also have dropped to ninth in the Eastern Conference with the loss.

Deron Williams' 28 points and 17 assists led the Jazz, who scored an opponent season-high against the Bulls.

Derrick Rose's 25 points and 13 assists led the Bulls.

Luol Deng scored 14 points after missing Monday's practice with the flu but missed the fourth quarter with a strained calf. He will have an MRI tomorrow.

Full game story | pictures | box score

By K.C. Johnson

The Jazz used a 13-1 run late in the third quarter to extend their lead to 92-81 over the Bulls entering the fourth.

Deron Williams has 24 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, who are shooting 54.5 percent. Williams had a monster dunk over Derrick Rose late in the quarter.

Brad Miller's 20 points leads the Bulls, who are shooting 56.1 percent.

Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager.

Now that arrangement is over, with the team announcing his departure in an e-mailed statement. Assistant general manager Neil Olshey will take over Dunleavy's job.

"The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy's seven-year tenure," the statement said. "The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective."

By K.C. Johnson

The Bulls are shooting 62.5 percent--and losing.

That's because their defense continues to struggle as the Jazz took a 63-61 halftime lead.

The Bulls own a 14-0 edge in fast-break points, have shot 75 percent on 3-pointers (with Brad Miller making three) and turned it over just four times. And they're still losing, despite a double-double already of 10 points and 11 assists for Derrick Rose.

Miller has 15 points while Luol Deng, who missed Monday's practice with the flu, has 12 points.

Like Rose, Deron Williams already has a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists for the Jazz.

Photo: Battle of the point guards: Derrick Rose and Deron Williams. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro has been lamenting opponents' high field-goal percentages of late.

And then Utah shoots 60.9 percent in seizing a 35-30 lead after one quarter Tuesday night at the United Center.

The Bulls shot 66.7 percent but it didn't matter as the Bulls' defense struggled to contain penetration and close out on shooters again. Of course, Utah's ball movement is among the best in the league, as evidenced by the Jazz's 11 assists on 14 field goals.

Wesley Matthews Jr. and Deron Williams each have eight points to lead the Jazz. Derrick Rose matched that point total to lead the Bulls.