DeMar DeRozan’s absence was thought to be a short one, and the Bulls have seemed to confirm that this afternoon.
The team has officially announced that DeRozan has been upgraded to “probable” for tomorrow’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, this doesn’t give him the full green light just yet, but it should pave the way for him to return to the starting lineup after a short one-game absence.
For what it’s worth, Alex Caruso has also ended up on the injury report, but he is also likely to play with a lower back contusion.
DeMar DeRozan is listed as probable for our game vs. Cleveland on Saturday (left adductor strain). pic.twitter.com/EtlGUUrrRI
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 25, 2022
With DeRozan on the bench, the Bulls collapsed in the 4th quarter of what would be a brutal loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado lit the team up for 13 points to push the Pelicans toward a 40-24 advantage in the final frame.
The Bulls must avoid a similar outcome in tomorrow’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently sit just 1.0 game behind them in the East’s No. 6 seed. Not only would a win for the Bulls be a massive step toward locking in a top-5 seed, but it would give them the tiebreaker advantage over both Cleveland and the Raptors.