The Phoenix Suns have been dominant in the NBA this season, but go up against this year's leading scorer in the NBA, DeMar DeRozan, when the Chicago Bulls come to town on Friday.

Phoenix sit way out on top of the Western Conference at 56-14 and have won seven of their last nine games.

However, the Bulls – fifth in the Eastern Conference at 41-28 – will take solace in the fact the Suns have lost three of their last six home games, though Chicago themselves have lost two straight on the road, winning just two of their last nine overall.

If Billy Donovan's team is to have any chance of pulling off a win in Arizona, they will surely be reliant on DeRozan having another big game.

The 32-year-old has a league-high 1,814 points to his name this season, averaging 27.9 points per game. He has scored at least 21 points in each of his last seven outings, and has only once not managed that many in a game in his last 28 (when he scored 18 vs the Miami Heat).

It would be harsh to say the Bulls are a one-man team, but with Zach LaVine – averaging 24.8 points per game – Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams all reportedly out injured again, DeRozan will be heavily leaned on once more.

The quality is spread right throughout Monty Williams' Suns though, hence their relentless ability to win games this season.

Devin Booker is their point-scoring leader with an average of 25.8 per game (10th best in the league), ably supported by Deandre Ayton (17.0) and five other players all averaging more than 10 per game.

These two teams have already met once this season when the Suns edged an exciting encounter 127-124 in Chicago in February.

The Bulls will be after revenge at Footprint Center but as with any team that comes up against Phoenix, that is very much easier said than done.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker

Against the high-scoring Bulls it will be important to respond in kind, which is exactly what Booker did in their February meeting, matching DeRozan by scoring 38 points, which was immensely helpful given the late comeback from Chicago (41-25 in the fourth quarter).

The 25-year-old has scored at least 30 points in four of his last seven games.

Chicago Bulls – Nikola Vucevic

I mean, strictly speaking it should be DeRozan, but we've covered him (which is also what the Suns are likely to try and do) and so the pressure will come onto Vucevic to step up, particularly in LaVine's absence.

The Montenegrin averages 18.0 points per game this season, third-best at the Bulls, and also averages 11.5 rebounds. His total of 699 rebounds is the sixth-highest in the league.

KEY BATTLES – Watch the threes

Only the Miami Heat (37.4 per cent) have better success from beyond the arc than the Bulls (37.3 per cent) in the league this season.

The Suns (36.6 per cent) are sixth best from downtown, though, and so both will need to be careful not to give too much space for three-point attempts, even though the temptation will be there considering how dangerous both are all over the court.

These two teams are the two best in the NBA this season for field goal percentage (Suns - 48.5, Bulls 48.2).

HEAD-TO-HEAD

As mentioned, the Suns beat the Bulls in February, and have actually won the last four meetings between the two. The last Chicago win came in March 2019 (116-101 in Phoenix).

Stephen Curry will be out "indefinitely" after suffering sprained ligament damage to his left foot, according to reports.

The Golden State Warriors star sustained the injury in Wednesday's 110-88 defeat to the Boston Celtics, with Curry leaving the court in the second quarter after contesting a loose ball with guard Marcus Smart.

However, Shams Charania of The Athletic claims the 34-year-old has avoided a "fracture or major damage".

Curry scored 47 points in his previous game against the Washington Wizards on Monday, and has averaged 25.5 points per game this season for the Warriors.

He broke Ray Allen's record for most career three-pointers in December, though this season his percentage from beyond the arc sits at 38.0, slightly down on his career average of 42.8.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr criticised Smart for "dangerous play" in the incident, and the duo exchanged words on the sidelines shortly after.

"I thought it was a dangerous play," Kerr told reporters. "I thought Marcus dove into Steph, and that's what I was upset about.

"I've got a lot of respect for Marcus. He's a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game and we're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play."

Smart defended himself from Kerr's claims, stating that Curry's injury was "unfortunate" and that he was "not a dirty player".

"I saw the ball, I dove for the ball, trying to make a play. Unfortunately that occurred," Smart said.

"I'm sure I'm going to get called dirty. But I know who I am. I play very hard and I leave everything on the court. My team-mates, my colleagues, they know I'm not a dirty player."

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has criticised Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart for "dangerous play" in the incident that led to Stephen Curry being forced off injured.

Curry left the court in the second quarter due to a left-foot injury that he was immediately sent for an MRI on post-game after the Warriors lost 110-88 to the Celtics.

The two-time MVP and Smart contested a loose ball, with the Celtics forward rolling on to Curry's left leg, leaving him limping, before exiting the game.

Kerr and Smart exchanged words on the sidelines shortly after the incident, with the Warriors head coach particularly vocal.

"I thought it was a dangerous play," Kerr told reporters. "I thought Marcus dove into Steph, and that's what I was upset about.

"I've got a lot of respect for Marcus. He's a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game and we're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play."

Kerr said the Warriors would learn the extent of Curry's injury once the MRI scans were returned and offered no insight on their level of concerns.

Meanwhile, Smart defended himself from Kerr's claims, stating that Curry's injury was "unfortunate" and that he was "not a dirty player".

"I saw the ball, I dove for the ball, trying to make a play. Unfortunately that occurred," Smart said.

He added: "I'm sure I'm going to get called dirty. But I know who I am. I play very hard and I leave everything on the court. My teammates, my colleagues, they know I'm not a dirty player."

The result leaves the Warriors with a 47-23 record to be third in the Western Conference having lost six of their past 10 games.

Spencer Dinwiddie delivered the buzzer-beating dagger in the Dallas Mavericks' 113-111 win on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.

In a game with First Team All-NBA stars Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant going head-to-head, Dinwiddie hit the most important shot of the night as defenders rushed to trap Doncic with just seconds remaining as the Mavericks trailed 110-111.

The game only required Dinwiddie's heroics after a string of late-game shot-making saw the lead seesaw.

After a Dirk Nowitzki-esque mid-range fadeaway from Doncic to grab a 110-108 lead, Durant took matters into his own hands.

Facing a defence that was game-planned to get the ball out of Durant's hands by sending two defenders to him whenever he had the ball, the seven-foot star was unselfish throughout the game as he moved the ball to the open outlet pass and racked up 10 assists to go with his 23 points (8/20 shooting).

But with everything on the line, Durant was determined to live and die by his own shot-making, pulling up and draining a ridiculous long-three with two defenders closing in on him to nab a one-point lead, before Dindwiddie answered.

Kevin Durant says he does not need to hold new Brooklyn Nets acquisition Ben Simmons' hand after his latest setback as he bids to return to the NBA.

Simmons, who was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets last month, received an epidural injection this week, further delaying any Brooklyn debut which is several weeks away at a minimum.

The 25-year-old has not played all season after sitting out the first half of the campaign with the 76ers citing mental health reasons after the fallout from their 2021 playoffs exit.

The Nets reportedly have hope he will play prior to the playoffs as he overcomes a back injury.

After Wednesday's 113-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Durant was asked how to keep Simmons engaged as he continues on the sidelines for even longer.

"He's a grown man. He's an All-Star. He's a veteran in this league now," Durant said.

"He's gotta keep himself engaged. I ain't ever gonna hold anybody's hand in this league. He knows that.

"He doesn’t want anybody to make sure he's being a professional. I can't wait to get him back but we don’t want to rush him.

"Hopefully he gets back soon. I know he misses it."

The Nets' latest defeat leaves them with a 36-34 record, sitting in eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Durant finished with 23 points, six rebounds and 10 assists and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the short-handed Nets.

The Mavs triumphed courtesy of a Spencer Dinwiddie's game-winning three-pointer on the final buzzer.

Dinwiddie finished with 22 points, while Luka Doncic added 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

"When you watch that last play, just regret, wondering what the game would have been like if I didn't go jump Luka right there, you know what I'm saying?" Durant said. "So in hindsight I wish I would have made a different decision, but it is what it is."

Russell Westbrook responded to on-court trash talk during the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves claiming none of his opponents have "done anything in this league".

Westbrook managed 15 points on five-of-12 shooting along with four rebounds and five assists in the defeat, while LeBron James was kept to 19 points shooting at 38 percent from the field.

The Lakers point guard appeared to be on the wrong end of trash talk from Timberwolves opponent Patrick Beverley. The pair have a chequered history dating back to the 2013 Playoffs, where the then-Oklahoma City guard accused Beverley of a dirty play resulting in Westbrook tearing his meniscus and missing the rest of the postseason.

The beef was reignited in 2019 when Westbrook made light of the Beverley's defense after a Houston Rockets game where James Harden scored 47 points when guarded by him.

Beverley clearly had not forgotten, as he was seen calling Westbrook "trash" and plugging his nose to gesture a bad smell during Wednesday's game.

"I honestly don’t pay no mind to it, maybe other guys do," Westbrook told reporters after the game. "The trash talking doesn’t bother me.

"Nobody out there has done anything in this league that would make we cock my eyes up and think 'oh they're talking mess', nope.

"That's fine, they're good, they won a game. Happy for them. We move on to the next one."

The result leaves the Lakers with a 29-40 record and in peril of missing the playoffs. Westbrook was asked whether the on-court tension could have been used to inspire the Lakers to respond.

"You've got to ask each individual," he said. "Everybody is wired differently. I can't speak for everybody else and if it gives them a rise or not."

On the trash talk, James added: "It's part of the game."

The Lakers trailed 67-46 at half-time but narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter, before the Timberwolves went on a decisive 17-4 run.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel bemoaned bad luck but also "terrible calls" by the referees during that stretch.

"They made three threes, one bounced up to the ceiling and bounced right through. We can't get a bounce," Vogel said.

"We had two questionable calls in the fourth quarter of a close game, with Bron's travel and Bron's illegal screen. Terrible calls. If you're going to call that, call it throughout the whole game. Very frustrating."

Stephen Curry was forced to sit out the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ game with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday after injuring his left foot.

With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Curry and Celtics guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball. The resulting tumble meant Smart fell on Curry’s leg, causing an inward tweak.

The Warriors confirmed Curry would not return in the second half, citing "left foot soreness".

At that point in the game, Curry had three points, one rebound and two assists with the Warriors down 33-25.

Curry has been the key player for the Warriors this season, with the side sitting third in the Western Conference with a 47-22 record prior to Wednesday's game.

The two-time MVP leads the NBA this season in three-pointers made with 284. Prior to Wednesday's game, Curry was averaging 25.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists this season.

Brooklyn Nets' new star acquisition Ben Simmons received an epidural injection while he was away from the team during the team's trip to Orlando.

Simmons is yet to play a game this season. He was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers after making himself unavailable due to mental health reasons following the fallout from their 2021 playoffs defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, while a back injury has delayed his Nets debut.

In Wednesday's press conference, coach Steve Nash said the hope was that the injection would assist the healing process.

Nash went on to say that the team will have to wait-and-see how Simmons reacts to the treatment, and that there is no current timetable for his return to practice.

Steve Nash joked Kyrie Irving produced more career highlights in the space of 12 minutes against the Orlando Magic than the Brooklyn Nets coach managed in his entire career.

Irving scored a career-high 60 points – the most for a Nets player in their NBA history – in Tuesday's 150-108 victory in Florida.

The seven-time NBA All-Star shot 20 for 31, which included eight of 12 on 3-pointers, and made 12 of 13 free throws in his 35 minutes on the court.

Forty-one of Irving's points came in the first half as he became the second Nets player over the past 25 years, after Deron Williams in March 2012, to have 40-plus points in a half.

It was an individual display that will long live in the memory, with Brooklyn coach Nash leading the tributes for the 29-year-old.

"He's just incredible. I felt like he had my career highlight reel in the first 12 minutes of the game," Nash said. 

"It's special to watch him every night – but it's special to watch him on nights like this, where he's in total control, total command. 

"He gets wherever he wants and is able to finish amongst the trees. It's just a pleasure to see it up close and to be a part of it."

Irving's 60-point display came a day after the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns also hit that mark against the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks the first time that two players have scored 60 points on successive nights in NBA since 1962.

There have now been seven 50-point games in the NBA in March, which is tied for the most in a single month since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

And Nets star Kevin Durant, who added 19 points in the win over Orlando, believes the division is now as strong as ever.

"The night after Karl Towns had an incredible performance, to then have Kyrie do it the next night, the league is in an incredible place right now," Durant said.

"I'm sure in the first quarter you saw it developing. Sixteen in the first and then midway through the second all of us on the bench are still looking.

"It's just like that every game for Ky, when you look up and, like, 'Damn, he got 10, 12, 14 points already'."

Durant scored 53 points in Sunday's win over the New York Knicks, making him and Irving the first team-mates in NBA history with 50+ points in back-to-back games.

"Making history, man. making history," Irving said when that stat was put to him. "Doing it with that guy is very special. But credit goes to our group. 

"Our guys in our locker room, they really believe in us, they really rock with us, there's not a doubt in our mind that they really believe that we can do something special. 

"And not just this year, but for years to come. We have a good group. And we're all sacrificing something that's bigger than ourselves."

He added: "When you're a kid scoring a bunch of points, it means something. When you're in the best league in the world doing it against the greatest, it means a little bit more."

The Nets have now won four games in a row to improve to 36-33 for the season, placing them eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Irving will not play against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday due to New York City's mandate requiring vaccination against COVID-19, though he intends to be in attendance.

"I'll probably wear a media pass," he joked. "It's a little awkwardness. 

"But I'll show up there with my family and get a warm embrace from New York, Brooklyn, everybody that's there to support the Nets and support our organisation, support me."

Jimmy Butler again sprained his ankle on Tuesday, during the Miami Heat's 105-98 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Max Strus scored 16 points off the bench in the fourth quarter as a result in the Heat's eventual win, earning extended minutes with Butler missing the entirety of the second half.

The 32-year-old All-Star has suffered a succession of injuries this season, and this new setback makes for his seventh ankle injury since 2020.

Though the Heat are due to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, there is as yet no diagnosis or schedule for Butler's return.

Another road game, and another virtuoso performance from Kyrie Irving in the Brooklyn Nets' 150-108 win over the Orlando Magic.

Unable to play in home games due to New York's vaccine mandate, Irving made the most of Brooklyn's trip to Orlando, scoring a ridiculous 41 points (14-19 from the field) in just the first half.

In an explosive team performance, the Nets scored 48 points in the first quarter, while Irving and Kevin Durant combined for 26. Irving went on to score another 25 of his side's 38 in the second period.

Irving eventually sat with more than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, with his team up by 37 and his personal tally at a career-best 60 points on 20-31 shooting, 8-12 from the perimeter and 12-13 from the free-throw line.

It also sets a new franchise record for the Nets, beating Deron Williams' 57 back in 2012.

Irving's previous high-scores were 57 points and 55 points, which he scored within two months of each other in the 2014-15 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The massive total ties the most points scored in an NBA game this season, matching Karl-Anthony Towns' mark which he set just yesterday.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said he is hopeful of Ben Simmons debuting with his new team before the playoffs, but indicated it is far from a sure thing.

With only 14 games to play before the postseason begins, Simmons still has not been cleared to practice due to a back injury that has only worsened since arriving in Brooklyn.

The Nets have shown they can win without Simmons for the time being – including a dominant performance in Philadelphia against former team-mate James Harden – but to be a serious title contender, the former first overall pick will need to play a significant role.

Currently occupying the eight-seed in the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn have an uphill battle to try to make up the four games they sit behind the six-seed Cleveland Cavaliers to avoid the play-in tournament and secure a guaranteed playoff berth.

While he has not been able to participate in team practices, Nash said the team are trying to get Simmons as involved as possible and build the necessary chemistry, and that he has "extremely high hopes that we'll see him in the regular season".

"The biggest thing we've tried to do is to have him be involved in everything," Nash said. 

"The travelling is the one caveat, where sometimes you're weighing the cost-benefit of him on aeroplanes and buses and different beds. 

"When he's with us, we want him in every meeting, in every walkthrough, in every film session, whatever it may be, so he's around the group. 

"We'd love for him to travel, be with the team all the time, but we have to weigh that scenario as well."

While Simmons is a "perfect fit" for Brooklyn's team construction and style, according to Nash, there is no way to simulate on-court repetitions alongside stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

"I think he has a pretty good understanding [of what the Nets are doing]," the coach said.  "Now, has his focus been on learning what we're doing? No, it's been on getting better. 

"We've had him around, we want him to learn, but there's a lot going on when you're desperately trying to fight to get on the court.

"I don't expect him to be totally dialled in on what we're doing, because part of that is also feel; getting out there with your team-mates, seeing how it fits. 

"I think he'll be a perfect fit for our guys – but some of that stuff is also getting out there and doing it, learning on the fly, rather than reading it off the notes."

Frank Vogel says LeBron James' game time is "always a concern" after the four-time MVP played a team-high 40 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers' 114-103 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

James starred for the Lakers in the previous day's defeat to the Phoenix Suns but was listed as questionable for Monday's clash with the Raptors due to soreness in his right knee.

The Lakers were 6-12 without James heading into the contest at Crypto.com Arena and Vogel took a gamble of sorts by not only using James but keeping him on the court for longer than any other player.

He delivered another impressive display with 30 points and nine rebounds, yet it was not enough to halt the Lakers' poor run as they fell to an eighth defeat in 10 games to go 29-39 for the season.

Despite James' fitness concerns, Lakers head coach Vogel is comfortable with his decision to keep the 37-year-old on the court against the Raptors, who won for a fourth straight game.

"It's always a concern," Vogel, who was in constant dialogue with James, said when asked about the forward's minutes. "But you feel the game out. There was enough stoppages. It's not always the total minutes on here. 

"It's what kind of flow the game has and there was enough stoppages that we never left like he was being too taxed."

James has played 1,845 minutes this season, which is second behind only Russell Westbrook (2,299) among Lakers players.

He has 1,487 points for the campaign and has averaged 29.7 across his 50 games, a tally that is bettered only by Joel Embiid (29.9).

Despite James' efforts, the Lakers left themselves with too much to do against the Raptors after finding themselves 24 points down in the first.

The hosts hit back to make it 109-97 with just over two minutes to go, but the comeback fell short.

Reflecting on another disappointing night for his side, a frustrated Carmelo Anthony said: "If you take away the first quarter, we won the game. We can't be digging ourselves holes or whatever. 

"We've been digging ourselves holes to start games off with. We did it against Phoenix, we did it again today. We find ourselves in those positions often this season."

Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson enjoyed an on-court reunion on Monday, which was described by the latter as "magical".

For the first time since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, the Warriors had their star trio of Curry, Green and Thompson on the court together.

Green had been out since early January due to a back injury, meaning he had been unable to feature since Thompson's return from two serious injury lay-offs.

But the trio were back and as good as ever against the Washington Wizards, who the Warriors defeated 126-112.

Green featured for 20 minutes and had six points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Thompson added 20 points to the Warriors' tally.

Curry, meanwhile, marked his 34th birthday in sensational style, scoring a season-high 47 points and finishing with six rebounds and as many assists. 

It was the sixth time in 2021-22 that Curry has enjoyed a 40-plus point game.

"That was magical," Thompson told reporters, while Green enthused: "It was beautiful."

Curry explained: "I think what it did for him is what it did for all of us. You could tell the energy picked up.

"It's not anything more than what's built on 10 years of experience and chemistry and winning and an understanding of how we do things. No matter how much time we have off, we can get right back to it.

"It is crazy to think first time me, Klay and Draymond had been on the court in a very, very long time.

"We want to keep building on that. We know each other like the back of our hand, we complement each other very well."

Golden State have now won four straight games all by double digits, following a five-game losing streak.

The Warriors moved to 47-22 for the season and have now beat every other team in the NBA at least once this season.

Karl-Anthony Towns revealed he was just following coach Chris Finch's orders when he went out and hit 60 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves' win over the San Antonio Spurs.

While MVP rivals Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid collided in Philadelphia, Towns stole the spotlight with a stunning display, hitting a season-high points total in the Timberwolves' 149-139 triumph on Monday.

Towns' tally took him ahead of the efforts of Trae Young and LeBron James, who both scored 56 this season, while it was also a franchise record.

And the 26-year-old said he had asked Finch pre-game what was required of him, with the coach telling him to "go get 60".

He continued: "I told coach before the game, 'Hey listen, we need this win. I'll do whatever it takes. If I need to play 44, 48 minutes, I'll get it done.'

"That was kind of the mindset I came in [with]. I had to dominate. I had to be my best.

"So I just went out there, tried to be really aggressive."

Finch was understandably delighted with Towns' showing, with Gregg Popovich's Spurs unable to stop him.

"They were selling out to protect the rim with everything else we were trying to do," Finch said.

"He had the matchup, and they didn't have an answer for him. We definitely needed it, and he stepped up."

Popovich, who recently racked up a record 1,336th victory as a coach, also heaped praise on Towns.

"Karl was fantastic," Popovich said. "He drove it, he shot it. He always plays hard. He's a hell of a player. It's not like it was a surprise, but tonight he was special."

After reaching half-time with 24 points, Towns exploded into life after the break, scoring 32 of his side's 46 third-quarter points on his way to final shooting figures of 19-31 from the field, 7-11 from three and 15-16 from the line.

Towns, who is the first center to hit 60 points in a single NBA game since Shaquille O'Neal in March 2000, also grabbed a personal season-high of 17 rebounds.

He became the first player in the league's history to have 60 points, 60 per cent 3-point shooting and 15 rebounds in a single game, while only four centers had previously enjoyed a 60-point game.