Short takes

 

• As goes Kris Dunn, so go the Bulls, or so it seems. The No. 5 overall pick in 2016 often looked lost his rookie season with the Timberwolves. But the trade to Chicago revived both his career and a Bulls team that was better than anyone dare dream in December, until Dunn went out because of a concussion Jan. 17. Without him, the Bulls lost seven of eight; before that, they went 14-7. Coincidence or not, fellow former Wolves guard Zach LaVine — back from last year’s knee injury — shot 22-for-67 from the field and 7-for-25 from three-point range in a five-game span in which his shot selection was the issue while Dunn was out. “We got to get better shots,” coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters before LaVine went 8-for-13 in a loss at Portland on Wednesday.

 

• All-Star starter Giannis Antetokounmpo made his only visit with Milwaukee to Target Center on Thursday, three days before a Super Bowl game he knows nothing about at U.S. Bank Stadium. “Last time I said something about football, I was talking about baseball,” he said. “I thought pitcher was football, so I don’t know nothing about football.”

• Fired by the Wolves in 2007, Toronto’s Dwane Casey is headed to his third All-Star Game and his first as head coach in two weeks. He will coach Team LeBron vs. his own stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, both of whom will play for Team Stephen. “It’s good, more for our organization than anything else,” Casey said. “Hopefully it puts our organization in a good light. It’s fun.”