Payne had surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal on Wednesday. The team says he will remain in a splint the next seven to 10 days and then spend six to eight weeks in a boot.

Payne was injured in a workout on July 18. Six weeks of rest in a boot was prescribed, but the team said recently a subsequent scan showed the bone did not heal ”satisfactorily.”

Payne also broke his right foot during the 2015-16 season with Oklahoma City.

Payne was acquired in the February trade that sent Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to the Thunder. He struggled for Chicago, averaging 4.9 points in 11 games.

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Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Bulls 103, Knicks 98

NEW YORK — Derrick Rose and Joaquin Noah will get another shot at their former team when the New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

With the Bulls (19-20), Rose was the MVP in 2011 and Noah was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season. The duo was part of an offseason makeover by the Knicks, who haven’t made the playoffs in three seasons.

The Knicks (17-22) won the first meeting, 117-104, in Chicago on Nov. 4. Rose scored 15 points and dished out 11 assists, while Noah recorded 16 points and nine rebounds.

But that is ancient history. New York has dropped nine of its last 10 games and the news surrounding Rose hasn’t been positive. He never showed up for the game against New Orleans on Monday at the Garden, a 110-96 loss, leaving his teammates and coach Jeff Hornacek holding the bag on his unexcused absence.

Rose returned to practice on Tuesday and offered an explanation.

“It was a family issue,” Rose said. “It had nothing to do with the team or basketball. That’s the first time I ever felt like that emotionally and I had to be with my family.”

He returned on Wednesday, scoring 25 points in the Knicks’ 98-97 buzzer-beater loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the second quarter, New York led by as much as 17 points. Philadelphia stormed back on a 15-3 run to close the half and started the third quarter on a 13-4 run. It erased a 13-point deficit in the final 8:49 of the game.

“We have to go out and win the next one and keep our heads up,” Rose said.

The 76ers had lost 78 straight games when trailing by 15 or more points.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” said Hornacek. “We let them (Philadelphia) come right back. We weren’t able to finish it.”

Carmelo Anthony poured in 28 points, passing Robert Parrish for the 26th on the all-time scoring list with 23,337 points. Charles Barkley is 25th at 23,757.

The Bulls are dealing with their own issues at guard. Chicago will have a rejuvenated Rajon Rondo on Thursday. Rondo, who played 27 minutes in Tuesday’s 101-99 loss to the Washington Wizards, was coming off a five-game benching by Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.

“I got a slight explanation from another guy on the (coaching) staff,” Rondo said. “The guy told me that he was saving me from myself.

“Save me from myself?” he said. “I’ve never heard that before in my life. I guess he was trying to do the best thing for me.”

Rondo finished with 12 points on 6-for-13 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two turnovers in 27-plus minutes.

The Bulls will need that kind of production from their mercurial guard as they may be without Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic, who both missed the Washington game with illnesses.

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Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 7, 2017
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), WGN (Chicago)
PREDICTION: Raptors 109, Bulls 101

Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 2-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 208.

CHICAGO — If the Toronto Raptors are going to continue to be one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams, coach Dwane Casey acknowledges his team has to put forth a balanced effort.

Casey, who has built his reputation on defense, wants the Raptors to thrive on both ends of the floor. But he knows there will be nights like the one Toronto had Thursday when the Raptors didn’t lead the Utah Jazz until the final minutes of a 101-93 victory.

Now, the Raptors must deal Saturday night with an up and down Chicago Bulls team that has experienced its share of drama, but that has played well against the NBA’s top teams.

And in order to become the Bulls’ latest victim after Chicago knocked off defending champion Cleveland 106-94 Wednesday night, Casey knows the Raptors can’t depend solely on either their offense or their defense.

“I want to be successful on both sides,” Casey told reporters after Thursday night, according to The Globe and Mail.

Entering Friday night, the Raptors rank third in 3-point field goal percentage (38.9). Toronto connected on 8 of 21 3-point attempts against Utah. Kyle Lowry, who scored a game-high 33 points, was 4-of-8 from behind the arc for Toronto (24-11), which didn’t grab its first lead until DeMar DeRozan hit a pull-up jumper to give the Raptors an 89-88 lead.

As they have throughout the season, the Raptors continued to rely on the 3-pointer, which Casey told reporters likely won’t change.

“I think we’ve adjusted our philosophy here to take in that change, to shoot the three,” Casey said, according to The Globe and Mail. “Some shots I would have said five or six years ago that were bad shots, are good shots.”

Meanwhile, who will lead the Bulls offense as the season progresses remains a point of contention, depending on who you ask.

Media reports this week suggested that Chicago (18-18) is shopping guard Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 25.2 points per game. But on Friday, fellow guard Dwyane Wade shot down the suggestion and said the rumors were based largely on the size of the market the Bulls play in.

On Friday, Wade referred to Butler as the cornerstone of the franchise.

“It’s the Bulls. Our best player is in a rumor right now,” Wade told reporters on Friday. “It doesn’t matter. It’s been a rumor every week, but it hasn’t happened. It’s a big market — something to talk about. A couple of extra (web) hits. It’s the way the world works, the world we’re in. Somebody decided to write something with no merit.”

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, whose job security has also been a point of discussion, refused to lend credence to the reports that the Bulls could be looking to be move their star player. Chicago enters Saturday night’s game having won two straight games and four of their last six.

“I’m not going to comment on the rumors,” Hoiberg told reporters Friday.

Asked if he was surprised by the speculation, Hoiberg said he wasn’t.

“That’s the world we live in, unfortunately,” Hoiberg said.

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Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, WGN (Chicago), FSN Ohio
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 98, Bulls 92

CLEVELAND — Two teams with point guard issues square off Wednesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls. Both Kyrie Irving and Rajon Rondo have missed the last two games, but for far different reasons.

Irving has been sidelined with tightness in his right hamstring that the team doesn’t believe is serious — they haven’t even done any medical testing on it to this point. Rondo remains benched and out of the Bulls’ rotation.

The Cavaliers lost at Chicago in early December on the night LeBron James had to wear a Cubs’ uniform into United Center to pay off a bet he lost to Dwyane Wade. It was also the night James declared the Cavaliers’ “honeymoon” for winning the NBA championship was over. His team has responded by winning 13 of 15 since that loss.

The Bulls, however, are just 6-11 since that win against Cleveland.

Both teams are fighting injuries. Chicago rookie Denzel Valentine is not making the trip to Cleveland because of a left ankle injury and Wade will be a game-time decision with a sore knee. Then there is the Rondo saga.

Valentine was only getting extended minutes because Rondo has been benched. Yet despite him being out on Wednesday and Wade’s status still questionable, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg still won’t commit to playing Rondo.

“We’ll see how everything plays out,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “We’ll cross that bridge when and if that happens.”

Kevin Love, meanwhile, played 24 minutes despite battling food poisoning during the Cavaliers’ home win against New Orleans on Monday. Coach Tyronn Lue said Love believes he got it from eating a piece of fish on the team’s flight home on New Year’s Eve. Love was not himself on the floor Monday and ultimately left early in the fourth quarter and didn’t return.

James also left the locker room Monday with a baggie full of medicine and admitted he wasn’t feeling well as the flu continues to rip through the NBA.

“Can’t have any excuses no matter what’s going on with the team,” James said. “Has to be next man up and when guys’ numbers are called they’ve got to be ready to go.”

The Cavaliers are down to 10 healthy bodies — and that’s counting Love. Lue was forced to cancel shootaround Monday due in part to a lack of bodies, although Cleveland will hold its typical morning walkthrough Wednesday prior to the game.

With both Irving and J.R. Smith sidelined, the Cavaliers have relied on a batch of fringe NBA players such as Jordan McRae, DeAndre Liggins and Kay Felder. McRae and Liggins have started in the backcourt the last two games with mixed results, while Felder has quietly been steady as the undersized rookie point guard drafted 54th overall last summer.

Felder has averaged 10.5 points in the two games Irving has missed, both of which came after he erupted for 33 points in his only D-League appearance this season. Felder acknowledged that night gave him a confidence boost and reminded him he can play at this level. He has proved it for the last week. Now his coach wants him to keep playing freely.

“Don’t look over at the bench,” Lue told him. “Just play your game. And if you’re doing too much, I’ll let you know. So don’t keep looking at the bench and looking over your shoulder. Just play.”

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San Antonio Spurs vs. Chicago Bulls
When: 9:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSN Chicago
PREDICTION: Spurs 106, Bulls 101

Oddsmakers currently have the Spurs listed as 4½-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 201.

The San Antonio Spurs can match an NBA record for consecutive road wins to start a season if they defeat the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at the United Center.

The Spurs are 13-0 and could tie the Golden State Warriors, who set the mark by going undefeated in their first 14 road games last season.

“It’s hard to win an NBA game, especially on the road,” reserve guard Patty Mills told Fox Sports Southwest after scoring 15 points in the Spurs’ 105-91 win Tuesday at the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Maybe that extra focus, knowing that we’re in another team’s building and (they’re) wanting to come out trying to beat us, there’s that little bit of extra focus or energy or effort, whatever it may be. But we can’t pinpoint (why) at the moment, and nor should we try to figure it out. Long season, I guess.”

It will also be a homecoming of sorts for Spurs center Pau Gasol, who played the past two seasons with the Bulls and signed with San Antonio as a free agent in the offseason.

Gasol, 36, has only missed one game for the Spurs (18-4). He’s averaging 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Gasol could give the post-challenged Bulls matchup problems, but Chicago will also need to dedicate a significant amount of focus on defending forward Kawhi Leonard.

San Antonio’s leading scorer (24.5 points per game) is coming off a 31-point performance against the Timberwolves, despite a slow start in that game. Leonard, 25, is averaging nearly four more minutes per game than his career average of 30.1 and scoring about 10 more points per game than his 14.9 career average.

“By this point in his career, he’s a confident player,” Spurs coach Gregg Poppovich told Fox Sports Southwest. “He knows he’s got a green light. We call his number now and then, but he does a lot of this stuff on his own, and he’s getting pretty good at pick-and-roll. So, he just advances his game every year a little bit in some fashion. Special young man.”

The Bulls (11-10) are coming off a 102-91 loss Tuesday at the Detroit Pistons, when they were outplayed in the fourth quarter after overcoming a 17-point deficit in the first half. Chicago has lost three straight games, four of its past five and is just 3-6 since winning four straight Nov. 10-17.

The Bulls have allowed 100-plus points in seven of those nine games.

“The problem is not on the offensive end,” guard Jimmy Butler told CSN Chicago. “(The Pistons) got whatever they wanted. We’re not defending the way we’re capable. We’re messing up assignments, not boxing out, not playing to guys’ weaknesses. We gotta fix it. All of these count early on. We have to turn this around.”

Butler is doing his part. The Bulls’ leading scorer scored 32 against the Pistons and is averaging 26 points a game. Over the past 10 games, Butler is averaging 27.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 10.7 free-throw attempts.

He’s just not getting enough consistent help from Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo or others in the Bulls’ playing rotation. Rondo returned to the lineup against the Pistons after serving a one-game suspension for a reported altercation with an assistant coach.

Chicago also made a series of roster moves Wednesday involving the Windy City Bulls of the D-League. They recalled forward Doug McDermott from their D-League affiliate. They also recalled guard R.J. Hunter and rookie forward Pau Zipser after sending both to the D-League about two hours earlier.

The Spurs might not have veteran guard Tony Parker, who is questionable after bruising his knee in San Antonio’s 97-96 win Monday at the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), CSN Chicago
PREDICTION: Bulls 115, Trail Blazers 102

Chicago ripped Portland 113-88 on Nov. 15 and showed off its potential in a 111-105 home win over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. The Bulls failed to keep up the momentum on the second night of a back-to-back with Dwyane Wade sitting out to rest and ended up handing the Dallas Mavericks their fourth win in a 107-82 thrashing. The Trail Blazers are coming off a 3-1 homestand and managed to win for the first time this season without scoring 100 points in a 99-92 triumph over Miami on Saturday. “We get stops, we get more physical, we come up with rebounds and loose balls and we just find a way,” Portland star Damian Lillard told reporters. “When you’ve got to gut one out like that and find a way when your offense isn’t there, I think that shows great character for our team and it shows growth. It shows that we’re growing.”

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (11-10): Portland is beginning a stretch of eight of nine on the road and is leaving with some confidence after back-to-back wins. “It was good to get these last two wins here at home and go into the road trip with some momentum,” Blazers guard Allen Crabbe told the team’s website. “We know how difficult it is to win but I feel like if we just continue to focus on what we did all week, which is defense, if we carry that over, we’ll be in a good position.” Crabbe averaged 15.5 points in the last two games to reach double figures in scoring in back-to-back contests for the first time since October.

ABOUT THE BULLS (11-8): Chicago is waiting for a Crabbe-like breakout from forward Nikola Mirotic, who failed to score in double figures in any of the last four games and bottomed out with a scoreless effort on 0-of-4 shooting on Saturday. “Make sure he understands that we’re here with him,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler told reporters of how the team is helping Mirotic. “He is still a part of this organization, and we need him on this team. … We need Niko to play, man. And when he starts thinking, it only gets worse. When you just play, great things happen.” Mirotic is 0-of-11 from 3-point range in the last three games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Blazers SF Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) missed the last 13 games but returned to practice last week and is nearing a return.

2. Bulls G Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double on Friday but slumped to two points, two rebounds and two assists on Saturday.

3. The visiting team took each of the last three in the series, with Portland earning a 103-95 win in its last trip to Chicago on Feb. 27.

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Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

CHICAGO — A thin backcourt keeps getting thinner for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Last week, the Lakers lost 20-year-old point guard D’Angelo Russell to a left knee injury that could sideline him for a couple more weeks. Now, shooting guard Nick Young could miss time after sustaining a right Achilles tendon strain Tuesday in a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Young is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday before the Lakers (9-10) visit the Chicago Bulls (10-6). In the meantime, look for Jose Calderon and Jordan Clarkson to lead the backcourt during the second road game in as many nights for Los Angeles.

“You do your best — I know it’s a cliche — but literally trying to take it one game at a time,” first-year Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, the Bulls are grateful to wake up in their own beds after a grueling six-game road trip that spanned the West Coast before crisscrossing the country to Philadelphia. Chicago won four of six games on the trip and surpassed 100 points in each of its past three contests.

The Bulls return to their home court for the first time since Nov. 12. The team is 4-1 at the United Center this season, with its only setback coming against the New York Knicks.

The Lakers and Bulls meet for the second time in the 11 days. Chicago outlasted Los Angeles 118-110 on Nov. 20 at the Staples Center as guard Jimmy Butler erupted for 40 points.

Butler has played like a superstar in his first season alongside free-agent addition Dwyane Wade. Butler is averaging 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his first 16 contests.

The buoyant 27-year-old told reporters he looked forward to competing against the Lakers and veteran forward Luol Deng, Butler’s friend and former teammate. Deng served as a mentor for Butler, whom the Bulls drafted with the final pick of the first round in 2011.

“The way I look at it, I owe him a little bit,” Butler said with a sly smile to the Chicago Tribune. “That’s why I’m going to show him the protege is doing it.”

Wade said Butler’s emergence was real.

“This is not a facade,” Wade said to the Chicago Tribune. “This is not luck. This is the way he can play night in and night out. He understands that now. Once you reach that level, it’s a big responsibility to stay there. But he wants to, and he has all the tools to do it.”

Reserve guard Lou Williams led the Lakers with 25 points against the Bulls in the team’s first meeting. Forward Larry Nance Jr. added 18 points off the bench.

Los Angeles lost five of its past seven games to slip below .500. Walton’s team is searching for its first win against the Bulls since Jan. 29, 2015.

Lakers forward Julius Randle returned Tuesday after missing the previous three games because of a hip-pointer injury. Randle scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in 22 minutes.

“I don’t have to be pain-free, (but) I’m just trying to figure out a way around it,” Randle told the Los Angeles Times. “But the biggest thing is I don’t want it to get worse.”

Bulls guard Doug McDermott is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game as he recovers from a concussion. He returned to practice this week but has not been cleared for contact drills.

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Kukoc helped the Bulls win three championships. President Michael Reinsdorf says Kukoc’s duties will be ”wide-ranging,” from relating to international players to talking to business partners and fans.

Kukoc calls it ”a thrill and an honor” to be back with the Bulls.

Kukoc spent 13 seasons in the NBA – seven in Chicago. He played on the Bulls’ second championship three-peat in the 1990s and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996.

The Bulls announced the hiring Monday. Former teammate Scottie Pippen has been in a similar role since 2012.

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Cleveland At Chicago
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, May 8, 2015
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
PREDICTION: Bulls 96, Cavaliers 91
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Smith returns just as the status of guard Iman Shumpert becomes uncertain after he suffered a groin injury in Game 2. Shumpert is averaging 18.5 points and made eight 3-pointers in the first two games of the series and insisted afterward that he would play but coach David Blatt told reporters the determination will be made on game day. “Time for one of those miracle 48-hour recoveries, that’s what we’re hoping for,” Blatt told reporters. “He’s obviously a very, very important player for us.”

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Cleveland is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing Chicago
Cleveland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
Cleveland is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Chicago
Cleveland is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Cleveland is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Chicago

Rose is shooting 37 percent in the series but more disturbing is that he hasn’t shot a single three throw over the past three games. “I can’t think about that,” Rose told reporters. “I don’t even want to talk about that. But I’m playing and if they’re not calling it, they’re just not calling it.” Power forward Pau Gasol will be seeking a bounce-back game after having just 11 points and four rebounds in Game 2 after producing 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in Game 1.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games
Chicago is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 6 games at home
Chicago is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Chicago is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Chicago is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland

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Chicago At Cleveland
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, May 4, 2015
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 100, Bulls 93
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Oddsmakers currently have the Cavaliers listed as 5-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 194.

Forward Kevin Love is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery and shooting guard J.R. Smith will miss the first two games after being suspended for hitting Jae Crowder in the face in the final game of the first-round series with over the Boston Celtics.

The absence of Love and Smith opens the door for third-seeded Chicago to pounce on the second-seeded Cavaliers and avoid a 0-2 hole. “You know when you play against them you’ve got to get back and you’ve got to take their momentum away,” Bulls point guard Derrick Rose told reporters. “It should be a fun series.” Forward LeBron James isn’t overly concerned with the roster shortages and says everyone just needs to compete hard and play their best. “From Day One we knew that we’d face adversity,” James told reporters. “You don’t know in what form or fashion. For us, it just happened to be a devastating injury but the games will still be played.”

Power forward Pau Gasol had five double-doubles in the six-game, first-round series win over the Milwaukee Bucks while averaging 16.3 points and 11.8 rebounds. He’ll look to control play in the interior while Chicago hopes Rose – four games of 15 or fewer points versus the Bucks – can match the caliber of play delivered by backcourt mate Jimmy Butler (24.8 average, five games of 20 or more points). “You to have to remember: This is his first time in the postseason in a long time for him,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters of Rose. “He feels real good, feels strong. He has to get ready for the next challenge.”

Team record: 54-34 SU,43-45 ATS
Chicago is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Chicago is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road

Love’s injury thrusts afterthought reserve Tristan Thompson into a key role in the series as the Cavaliers attempt to slow down Gasol. “Everyone still has to do more and has to get adjusted to whether they’re starting of coming off the bench,” Thompson told reporters. “We got to be able to still do our roles.” Thompson averaged 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in the first-round sweep of the Celtics after averaging 8.5 points and eight boards during the regular season.

Team record: 57-29 SU,43-43 ATS
Current Streak: won 6 straight games.
Cleveland is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 15-8 ATS in its last 23 games at home
Cleveland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home

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