CHICAGO — Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen found himself in the middle of yet another controversial foul call during a game against the Chicago Bulls, when Allen got knocked to the floor while driving to the basket in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s 127-106 victory after a hard foul from Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic, who was fouled from behind by Bucks center Brook Lopez on the play, received a dead ball technical foul for the contact on Allen after a replay review.

However, Vucevic maintained after the game that he did not intend to target or foul Allen, who has been the subject of ire for Chicago fans ever since a flagrant foul 2 on Bulls guard Alex Caruso in January resulted in a fractured right wrist for Caruso.

“My intention wasn’t to foul or injure him or anything,” Vucevic said after the game. “I got pushed a little bit, and as I tried to go and swipe at the ball, I think it just looked worse in the moment. When you look at the replay, it’s not even that bad. I don’t even understand why I got a tech for it.”

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Knowing the history between the two teams, Vucevic said he spoke to Allen and a few Bucks players on the floor after the play to clear up his intentions.

“I didn’t make anything of it,” Allen said. “I honestly didn’t hear the whistle and I don’t think he heard the whistle either. I had the ball in my left hand, so I think he was coming across my body to make a play on the ball.”

Allen was also on the receiving end of a hard foul the last time these two teams played in Chicago last month, when Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. delivered a hip check and hit Allen in the face with his elbow while trying to defend him driving to the basket. Although Jones said he was simply trying to “get a stop,” he received a flagrant foul 1.

On Tuesday, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he believed Vucevic should have received at least a flagrant foul as well.

“Yeah, I think it crossed the line,” Budenholzer said. “The refs thought it was not enough to be flagrant. … Basically said they looked at it 4-5 times. He didn’t think there was a windup. He didn’t think [it met] whatever the criteria was.”

As they did the last time the Bucks were in town, Bulls fans continued to boo Allen every time he touched the ball Tuesday. When Vucevic’s foul sent Allen to the floor, the crowd erupted in celebration.

The Bulls clinched their first playoff berth since the 2016-17 season on Tuesday thanks to a Cleveland Cavaliers loss, while the Bucks’ victory gave them the same record as both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Because of tiebreakers, the Bucks are currently the No. 3 seed in the East and the Bulls are the No. 6 seed, which means if the standings hold, they would meet in the first round of the playoffs.

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Technically, yes, the Bulls backed into a guaranteed playoff spot on Tuesday.

So why did it feel more like they actually fell into their first Eastern Conference playoff appearance since 2017?

That same type of clumsiness displayed when a chair is pulled out or a door that’s being leaned on is quickly opened.

Awkward and embarrassing.

That’s because on the same night that the Arturas Karnisovas-led front office brought the organization back to the NBA’s “second season,” it did so with more questions than answers, courtesy of a 127-106 loss to Milwaukee at the United Center.

A loss that dropped the Bulls to 45-34 on the season, but way more concerning, now a combined 0-18 against championship-contending teams in the Bucks, Miami, Philadelphia, Memphis, Phoenix, and Golden State. The Bulls have a split with Boston so far, with the rubber match coming on Wednesday, so to dress it up a bit, make that 1-19 for the year against the league’s elite.

They also dropped to the No. 6 seed once again, thanks to a Toronto win over Atlanta.

Then there’s the on-going health issues for the Bulls.

The Sun-Times was reporting that point guard Lonzo Ball (left knee) was expected to officially be ruled out for the rest of the season – playoffs included – later this week, and it’s hard to overlook the moody left knee of Zach LaVine that was once again angry to start this week.

LaVine was not only held out of the Monday practice and Tuesday shootaround, according to coach Billy Donovan, but missed the game against the Bucks and was on “day-to-day” status with three regular-season games left.

“Between Zach and the medical, those guys talking, just seeing where he’s at physically and coming up with a plan,” Donovan said of how the knee will continue to be handled. “I don’t know where he’ll be at [Wednesday] or where that leaves him. Like I said, it’s more kind of a day-to-day, the next day to see how he’s doing.

“As competitive as he is he wants to be out there playing, so I know it bothers him, but I think he’s trying to make good, wise choices.”

Which is what the organization and LaVine’s camp both want. Not only to make sure that the All-Star is as fresh as the knee will allow him to be for the playoffs, but also knowing that he will be a free agent this summer, looking for max money.

The expectation, however, was he should be able to gut his way through the postseason because there will be no back-to-backs.

“I didn’t get that at all like this is at a place where he’s going to need to sit multiple games,” Donovan added of LaVine. “I think it’s more going to be an evaluation of him on a daily basis.”

The evaluation for the Bulls against the Bucks was a simple one: DeMar DeRozan and everyone else get out of the way, as the veteran dropped 40 on the defending champs.

It was DeRozan’s 28th 30-plus game of the season, with only Michael Jordan putting up more in a year.

Meanwhile, while Nikola Vucevic struggled on a 3-for-19 shooting night, he did at least show the Bulls don’t forget, picking up a technical for an elbow to the face area of Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen. The same Allen who knocked Alex Caruso out for months with a wrist fracture on a flagrant-2.

“I’m happy for our guys, I’m happy for our organization,” Donovan said of the playoff berth. “You want to be playing at that time of the year. A lot of these guys haven’t experienced this.”

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Coach Billy Donovan sounded like he was still holding onto a sliver of hope for a Lonzo Ball return.

The Sun-Times, however, has been told that hope has all but limped off into the summer, with a source saying that Ball will in fact be shut down from any sort of return – regular- or postseason.

After a 10-day pause in the rehab process from both a surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee and a bone bruise, the Bulls and their medical staff were anticipating that a final rest would allow them to ramp up the point guard’s activity for one more attempt before they would have to face the reality of pulling the plug on an sort of return.

The beginning stages of that attempt took place the last few days, but when they tried to again get Ball ramped up in the sprinting and cutting part of the rehab on Tuesday morning, he again felt discomfort in the knee.

“He is having discomfort, which is obviously disappointing,” Donovan said. “I’m not really quite sure what the next step is. The plan is to continue talking to the doctors.

“I think there will probably be a meeting of the minds here in the next day or two to talk about what the next step is in what we do. That’s really all I have right now. I don’t know if he was able to do a little bit more or he gets to the same point, but he is having some discomfort at this point.”

A source close to the situation, however, said that the organization already knows that the calendar doesn’t work in Ball’s favor, with the regular season over on Sunday.

Even with five days off while the play-in portion of the postseason takes place, this latest setback still doesn’t give the Bulls enough of a comfortable timetable to drop Ball into the postseason with limited practice time, as well as the fact that he hasn’t played in an NBA game since Jan. 14.

Donovan expected everything to be made official at some point this week.

“All these guys love to play, he wants to play,” Donovan said of Ball. “I think like any player, he’s disappointed that he can’t be out there and it’s not progressing, but he’s dealt with it, taking it in stride. To his credit he’s tried to do everything to get himself back and feeling good.

“As it relates to the season, obviously we’re running out of games and time, things like that, and those things will probably be taken into consideration.”

In Ball’s absence, Ayo Dosunmu was handed the starting point guard spot, and has had mixed results lately.

With the schedule getting harder at the All-Star Break, Dosunmu’s play has reflected that.

“Green Light” White

Coby White spoke about his shooting woes lately, and made it very clear that while he was only hitting 23.5% from three-point range his last 10 games, his mindset was, “The bad thing would be if I stopped shooting.”

Donovan wants his combo-guard to stay aggressive, but also cognizant that he can affect the game in other ways.

“I feel really good with the shots that he’s taken,” Donovan said. “And I’ve talked to Coby about this, but you gotta get lost in the game competitively. He’s gotta compete defensively, he’s gotta get out in transition, moving, cutting. It takes about a second to shoot a shot. For the minutes he’s out there I want him aggressive.”

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White Sox 9, Padres 6

Farewell, Cactus League

Leury Garcia homered and minor league catcher Xavier Fernandez hit his second in two games as the White Sox completed the Cactus League with a 9-10 record. Michael Kopech struggled in his tuneup for his start Sunday in Detroit.

“Everybody would like to have more time but nobody has,” manager Tony La Russa said of the short camp. “We’re as ready as we can be. The guys worked hard.”

Sousa makes team

Bennett Sousa will make his first Opening Day roster as the second left-handed reliever behind Aaron Bummer.

A 10th-round Sox draft pick in 2018, Sousa “couldn’t have had a better spring,” assistant general manager Chris Getz said. “He turned some heads, opened some eyes. He’s got the ability to get both sided hitters out, which is very valuable in the game now days.”

Crick sticks

Another newcomer to the pen will be right-hander Kyle Crick, who finished a pristine spring with his seventh scoreless relief appearance in as many outings. Krick has a 3.44 career ERA with 44 career appearances with the Giants and Pirates over five seasons.

Leury legend

Garcia will be the Opening Day shortstop for the White Sox. He’s no Tim Anderson, but Garcia is the longest tenured Sox, so having the distinction of playing his favorite position and perhaps the one he’s best at of the many positions he can play will be a nice moment.

Anderson is serving a two-game suspension for bumping umpire Tim Timmons during a bench clearing melee in Detroit last September.

“I’ll take care of it for him,” Garcia said. “I love it, I love the position. That’s the position I played coming up in minor leagues baseball.

“We all know what we want and where we want to be at the end of the season. We have some injuries right now, and with guys we really need. But we have enough guys to compete.”

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SURPRISE, Ariz. – Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly is scheduled to take the mound Sunday against the Brewers, manager David Ross announced on the final day of spring training camp.

With that news Tuesday, the Cubs’ rotation came into focus for the four-game opening series. Right-hander Kyle Hendricks is set to start Thursday, on Opening Day at Wrigley Field, followed by lefty Justin Steele, righty Marcus Stroman and Smyly.

“It’s going to be an exciting year,” Smyly said. “Hopefully we get off to a hot start and just can roll with it.”

The Cubs have an off day next Monday, so they don’t need a fifth starter until the second time through the rotation.

Right-hander Alec Mills, who was scheduled to start a simulated game on Tuesday, has experience in a swingman role. As Smyly continues to build up his workload, Mills could come in as a multi-inning reliever on Sunday – or before – and potentially join the rotation at the end of the week.

Veteran left-hander Wade Miley (elbow inflammation) is expected to start the season on the injured list.

Smyly signed with the Cubs this spring, rejoining the organization after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery with the Cubs in 2018. But he never played for Chicago.

“It’s always been an intriguing spot to come back,” Smyly said after signing. “Not to mention the city and the atmosphere at Wrigley. I spent a whole summer there and didn’t get to play. But I know how fun it is to take that field. So, it’s always kind of a little sad for me I didn’t get a chance to do that when I was here first.”

Cubs embrace tradition

Major League Baseball has approved PitchCom for the regular season, but the Cubs will communicate pitch calls by more traditional means.

PitchCom is a wearable pitch-calling device that teams had access to this spring, as sign stealing and pace of play have taken the spotlight in recent years.

“I’ve already seen a couple people get crossed up that are using it,” Ross said. “So as of right now, if anybody feels like we want to integrate that, we will. That’s probably a process for later in the year or next year for us, from all the feedback that I get.”

Ross added that the Cubs’ catchers weren’t as comfortable using the devices as others on teams that have decided to embrace the technology. The use of PitchCom is optional for teams.

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Back on Feb. 20, Blackhawks interim coach Derek King included a curious preface –“If he decides to continue to be a better person” –when discussing Kirby Dach’s still-lofty potential.

The negative implications of that comment might’ve been purely unintentional.King did immediately say “better player,” too, and he might not have intended for those phrases to be interpreted separately. But the comment might’ve alternatively indicated that, behind the scenes, King had taken issue with some of Dach’s behavior.

After practice Tuesday, King provided some possible clarity. Asked if he’s seen any evolution in Dach’s attitude or personality this season, he said the former third overall pick has lately done a “much better job of not slamming doors, breaking sticks and looking so frustrated.”

King’s distaste for such dramatic, visible displays of emotion has been firmly established. He joked after the Hawks’ loss in Vegas on March 26 that “close to $2,000 worth of hockey sticks [were busted] out there today.” He likes when his upbeat, glass-half-full attitude rubs off on his team, so it’s hardly surprising Dach’s often gloomy aura this winter could’ve rubbed him the wrong way.

But it sounds like King has seen improvement –not only from Dach but also from many of the Hawks’ less-mature players –in terms of patience and calmness in the face of adversity or misfortune.

“It’s an emotional game, and I get it,” he said. “I just don’t like to see it all the time. Sometimes a guy is going to get upset [and] break his stick on the bench or slam a door. But you can’t do it after every mistake you think you made, or [after] a bad shift, or [if] you missed a goal or you did something.

“I haven’t seen it [as much]. It has been a lot better. The one guy who has improved a lot is Dach.”

It’s probably not a coincidence Dach has been off social media for more than three months now, having deleted his apps around New Year’s Day to help block out the criticism and pressure from fans.

Indeed, Dach said himself Tuesday his effort to be more present has made a difference.

“I’ve always been pretty confident in my play and things I can do on the ice,” he said. “It’s just nice to take a break. You get away from things. You don’t really hear about things anymore, not even critics or social media that way. It’s nice to shut the phone off and just enjoy life a little bit more.”

Dach’s on-ice performance since Feb. 20 has been an exaggerated microcosm of his overall career to date: poor offensive results, good defensive results.

He touts just four points in 18 games during this span, meaning his tepid season stats (24 points in 66 games) now nearly match his rookie totals (23 points in 64 games). But he also has conceded only 26.0 opponent scoring chances per 60 even-strength minutes, the best among all Hawks forwards still on the roster.

He understandably wants to excel in both regards eventually, and his lack of progress so far toward that goal is concerning. But rushing or getting restless about the process’s pace won’t help, and Dach seems to be learning that.

“He wants to be the best player on the ice all the time, and it’s frustrating why he’s not,” King said. “I keep telling him it’s something you’ve got to build. It will come. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Note: Marian Hossa will sign a one-day contract Thursday during a United Center event before the Hawks-Kraken game to retire as a Blackhawk. His last NHL appearance came with the Hawks in 2017, but he technically finished his career under contract with the Coyotes.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto can’t help the White Sox now. But the sooner the better.

When will he be ready to go?

“Good question,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Hoping not long.”

That there are questions about the Sox starting rotation a few days before Opening Day is not ideal for a team with championship goals, but so it goes when the expected Opening Day starter needs knee surgery and the starter replacing Carlos Rodon is behind the others ramping up to the season.

Arguably the best free agent pitcher available left from a picked-over pool, Cueto, 36, signed a $4.2 minor league contract late Monday that could help the Sox absorb the loss of veteran right-hander Lance Lynn, who had knee surgery Tuesday in Chicago and will be out at least eight weeks.

Cueto, a big name on the back end of his career, has been throwing and in contact with Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz, who had Cueto with the Giants in 2020 when Katz was an assistant pitching coach.

“He’s had excellent command of three or four pitches that became like 10 or 12 because he had different angles coming at you,” La Russa said. “It’s an exciting move, we’re looking forward to it.”

Cueto posted a 4.08 ERA over 114 2/3 innings last season with the Giants, appearing in 22 games (21 starts). An All-Star with the Reds in 2014 and Giants in 2016, Cueto has finished in the top six in Cy Young Award voting three times during his career. He owns a 135-97 record and 3.45 ERA over 14 seasons with the Reds, Royals and Giants.

“Much love to the fans of the San Francisco Giants … thanks for everything. Let’s get to work Chicago,” Cueto posted on Twitter.

The Sox, meanwhile, played their final Cactus League game Tuesday. They’ll work out Wednesday morning while No. 5 starter Dallas Keuchel faces hitters in his final tuneup, then fly to Detroit, have a workout at Comerica Park Thursday and play the season opener Friday.

They go to Detroit smarting from Lynn’s injury and lefty reliever Garrett Crochet needing season ending Tommy John surgery. Both went under the knife Tuesday. The losses of those players, coupled with the short lead-up to this season for pitchers, has the Sox tip-toeing through the first rotation of starters.

Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech will start the first three games in Detroit. La Russa said Keuchel is in the No. 5 slot, leaving the No. 4 undetermined for the home opener next Tuesday. Vince Velasquez is the leading candidate, but La Russa didn’t commit to that knowing Velasquez might be needed in Detroit. Reynaldo Lopez is another option to start and handle multi-inning assignments.

Velasquez, signed to a one-year, $3 million free-agent deal early in camp, struck out five but was charged with two runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Cubs Monday.

“I was excited about what I saw,” La Russa said.

Not so exciting was Kopech, who walked four and gave up two hits and two runs in two innings against the Padres Tuesday.

Cueto seems excited about coming to the Sox. At some point, and as soon as possible, he will build off last season and provide needed innings. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018, missed nearly a month of last season with a lat strain, and also dealt with flexor and elbow strains that year.His workload last season was his biggest since he pitched 63 1/3 innings in 2017, but the Giants bought out his $22 million option for $5 million.

Cueto’s deal, which has a May 15 opt out, will be official when he passes a physical.

“We’ve seen some videos of his workouts and his throwing, but you have to eyeball him,” La Russa said.

“But I know he’s been working. He’s a guy Ethan has had communication with, I think there is something to that. Very positive move for us.”

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