>>Bulls Suspend F Portis 8 Games For Altercation With Mirotic

 

The Chicago Bulls have suspended forward Bobby Portis for the first eight games for injuring teammate Nikola Mirotic during a fight at practice.

 

Mirotic suffered multiple broken bones in his face as well as a concussion on Tuesday. He will likely need surgery and is out indefinitely.

 

The team announced the suspension on Wednesday. Chicago opens the season at Toronto on Thursday.

 

A 2015 first-round pick, Portis has averaged 6.9 points and 5 rebounds. He will be allowed to practice with the team while he is suspended.

 

Mirotic averaged 10.8 points over his first three seasons with Chicago. A restricted free agent, he signed a two-year contract that could pay as much as $27 million in September. The club holds an option on the second season.

 

>>Pacers Hold Off Nets in Season Opener

 

Eight Pacers scored in double figures, three finished with double-doubles and Indiana produced its highest point total in nearly seven years in a 140-131 season-opening victory Wednesday night over the Brooklyn Nets.

 

Darren Collison wound up with 21 points and 11 assists in his return to Indiana. Newly elected team captain Myles Turner had 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and former Nets player Thaddeus Young added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

 

D'Angelo Russell had 30 points and five assists in his Brooklyn debut.

 

Trevor Booker added 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

 

The Pacers used a 10-0 third quarter run to break a 65-65 tie. Brooklyn never led again, though it charged back in the closing minutes by trimming a 10-point deficit to 130-126 before the Pacers finally closed it out.

 

Lance Stephenson scored 16 points off the bench and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points against his former team.

 

The Pacers host Portland on Friday.

 

>>Bulls In Toronto To Open Season

 

The Toronto Raptors will open their season steeped in serenity Thursday night at Air Canada Centre against the Chicago Bulls, whose own camaraderie was shaken by in-fighting.

 

While the Raptors were talking about their comfort level with each other, the Bulls lost a player for at least a month because a teammate punched him during practice.

 

The Bulls are also dealing with injuries to Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Cameron Payne and Quincy Pondexter.

 

When Chicago obtained Kay Felder this week, after he was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he became the eighth point guard brought in since last season.

 

Both teams are adapting to a different style of play this season, with an emphasis on 3-point shooting.

 

In the season opener, the Bulls likely will start Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Markkanen and Lopez.