Collin Sexton

Both players are dealing with left hamstring strains, and neither are expected to take the court against Boston. Collin Sexton is the most obvious beneficiary of these absences, and Jaden Ivey will earn some extra run, too.

NEW YORK (AP) Nic Claxton scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 123-113 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.Noah Clowney added 20 points for Brooklyn, which won its second in a row. Drake Powell had 14 points off the bench, rookies Danny Wolf and Nolan Traore each had 13 and Ziaire Williams added 11. The Nets won three of the four meetings between the Eastern Conference teams that are rebuilding.Anfernee Simons scored 23 points for Chicago, which lost its fifth straight. Collin Sexton scored 19 off the bench and Matas Buzelis had 18. The Nets began the third quarter with a 14-5 spurt over the first three minutes to extend their advantage to 15 at 74-59. But Chicago responded with a 30-15 run over the final nine minutes of the quarter to tie it at 89 entering the fourth.Two free throws by Isaac Okoro two minutes into the fourth gave the Bulls their first lead since early in the second at 93-91. The Nets then had a 12-6 spurt over the next three minutes to regain the advantage, 103-99. The teams traded scores the rest of the way, with the most significant being Wolf s layup with 3:33 remaining and two free throws by Claxton free throws on the next possession that extended Brooklyn s lead to 115-107.Both teams were short-handed. The Nets didn't have leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (right knee tendinitis) and rookie guard Egor Demin (rest), while Chicago missed Zach Collins (sprained right toe), Josh Giddey (strained left hamstring), Tre Jones (strained left hamstring), and Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery). Up next Bulls: Play at Boston on Wednesday night. Nets: Host Indiana on Wednesday night. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Giddey was initially questionable for Wednesday's loss to the Raptors, but did not play, which led to rotation minutes off the bench for Yuki Kawamura and Mac McClung. Jaden Ivey, who started his Bulls debut, is the player to target if he's sitting on the waiver wire, and Collin Sexton will also be available on Saturday.

Saturday's game will be the ninth that Jones has missed, having last appeared in a game on January 22. With the Bulls adding Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton to the roster at the trade deadline, there's little to gain from holding onto Jones in most fantasy leagues.

Denver Nuggets (33-19, third in the Western Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (24-28, 11th in the Eastern Conference)Chicago; Saturday, 8 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Denver looks to end its three-game losing streak with a victory over Chicago.The Bulls have gone 15-11 in home games. Chicago is third in the NBA with 34.9 defensive rebounds per game led by Josh Giddey averaging 7.4.The Nuggets are 19-9 on the road. Denver is 14-13 against opponents over .500.The Bulls score 117.0 points per game, 0.8 more points than the 116.2 the Nuggets allow. The Nuggets average 13.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 fewer makes per game than the Bulls allow.The teams play for the second time this season. The Bulls won the last meeting 130-127 on Nov. 18. Giddey scored 21 points to help lead the Bulls to the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Matas Buzelis is averaging 15 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Bulls. Jalen Smith is averaging 10.7 points over the last 10 games.Nikola Jokic is averaging 29.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 22.2 points and 6.9 assists over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 115.1 points, 43.9 rebounds, 28.9 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.0 points per game.Nuggets: 4-6, averaging 109.8 points, 41.9 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 7.1 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.2 points.INJURIES: Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Tre Jones: day to day (hamstring), Zach Collins: out (toe), Collin Sexton: day to day (not injury related), Josh Giddey: day to day (hamstring).Nuggets: Cameron Johnson: out (knee), Spencer Jones: day to day (head), Tamar Bates: out (foot), Aaron Gordon: out (hamstring), Peyton Watson: day to day (hamstring).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.