When Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball checked in during the first quarter Wednesday, his first regular-season game in more than two years, he did so without fanfare. He had been through an emotional return in the preseason -- when he played in an NBA game for the first time following a cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 -- and his teammates gifted him the game ball and celebrated him in the locker room.

Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and CJ McCollum added 23 as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-111 in the NBA season opener for both teams on Wednesday night. Dejounte Murray had 14 points,