Good news: DeMar DeRozan is off the latest injury report and appears set to play in the Chicago Bulls’ back-to-back.
The Bulls’ leading scorer missed the team’s last game against Portland after playing just 20 minutes in the team’s 25-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. While the quad strain has nagged DeRozan since January, he told reporters on Saturday that he believes he’ll be fine as long as the Bulls don’t end up in several more multi-OT games.
- As great as it is to know DeRozan can return after a brief hiatus, we’ll want to keep a close eye on how comfortable he actually looks out there. He shot just 0-7 against Philly, and we also saw similarly inefficient performances back in January and February when he was trying to play through the discomfort. With some important games left on the calendar to secure a Play-In Tournament spot, the last thing the Bulls need is DeRozan looking a step slow.
- In other injury news, the Lakers might get back one of their top players. LeBron James was shockingly upgraded to questionable this morning and will reportedly test his foot during pre-game warm-ups.
- Is anyone else a bit worried about Javonte Green? The Chicago Bulls’ versatile forward has been ruled out for today’s game, meaning he will now miss two-straight battles after appearing in both the Bulls’ matchups versus Philly. The injury report simply lists “right knee: surgery” as the reason behind his unavailability. Let’s hope all he needs is a little more rest before he can reclaim a more consistent spot in the rotation.
- You know, I got to give it to Beverley. The team has turned things around in a big way since he arrived, but he’s never once acted too arrogant about it.
- Now … has he acted a bit larger than life? Sure! But that’s Pat Bev for ya.
- The Lakers are finally finding their groove. Currently just 1.5 games out of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, LA is 7-3 over their last 10 games. Anthony Davis has looked pretty close to his prime self during this stretch, averaging 27.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. He’s fresh off a 37-point showing against the OKC Thunder on a 15-21 shooting display. While the Bulls will have a little more size to throw at Davis, this will undoubtedly be a tough battle for the frontcourt. Let’s hope Patrick Williams is ready for the challenge.
- The Lakers’ defense, in particular, has been carrying the weight over this much-improved stretch. They’ve held the 5th-best defensive rating over these last 10 games, holding their opponents to just 45.1 percent shooting. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, they have still been getting to the free-throw line better than anyone in the league. There is no doubt that this is a beatable Lakers team, especially when we consider their overall lack of depth. But the Bulls will have to come out ready for a hard-nosed fight.
- The Windy City Bulls’ have officially missed the G-League postseason. They’ll finish 18-14 and one spot short of making the cut due to the Fort Wayne Fire Ants holding the regular season tiebreaker advantage.
- A reminder that Zach LaVine is one of the best long-range shooters in the league.
- This is always a classy move …
- Ain’t that the truth!
- HBD coach!