NEWSLETTER
Veteran forward Otto Porter is set to miss his second game of the season tonight due to a lower back strain, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson.
New additions to Bulls injury report: Otto Porter Jr. is out vs. Rockets with lower back strain. Patrick Williams is probable with right hip contusion.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 18, 2021
Porter first had back problems on January 8th when he suffered spasms in the Bulls matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. He went on to clock on 6 minutes of action before missing the team’s following game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether or not the two are related is unknown, but we all know these kinds of back issues have a tendency to linger.
Before the season tipped-off, head coach Billy Donovan said the team would monitor Porter’s health carefully, and it’s not hard to think that is part of the reason he has opted to play him off the bench so far. I don’t need to tell you, but the 27-year-old has missed far more games than he has played over his couple of years thanks to several unfortunate injuries.
There is no question his health this season has helped this Bulls team take a step in the right direction, as he’s averaged 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He has also shot 46.0 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from downtown. With all of that being the case, it makes sense that the Bulls would choose to sit him at the first sight of any considerable discomfort, especially on the back-end of a back-to-back. Fortunately, after tonight’s game, the Bulls do not play again until Friday, which gives Porter a good amount of time to rest up (Michael: And indeed, that could be why they’re deciding to sit him tonight … it provides an extended rest with just one missed contest – a Joe Maddon speciality).
