The Chicago Bulls will be without Zach LaVine again on Thursday night.
Following his strong start to the season, LaVine suffered an adductor strain during the team’s victory over the Orlando Magic on Oct. 30. While he played through the issue in the following game against Brooklyn, the Bulls went on to rule him out ahead of their matchup with the Utah Jazz.
There seemed to be some optimism that the two-time All-Star would be held to only one missed game. He entered the Bulls’ road meeting with the Dallas Mavericks as questionable, but the Bulls proceeded to rule him out again shortly before tip-off.
Now, less than 24 hours later, LaVine has trended in the wrong direction.
Bulls Without Zach LaVine vs. T-Wolves
The Bulls downgraded LaVine’s injury designation to doubtful before their battle with the Timberwolves on Thursday. A little under two hours before game time, they officially ruled him out. The move also comes after Billy Donovan expressed some optimism that LaVine could return to Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson. Instead, Chicago’s leading scorer will miss his third-straight game.
The good news is that LaVine could still be in line to return this week. Donovan told reporters that he’s only experiencing some tightness, as opposed to suffering from a strain or pull. His next chance to take the floor will be on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.
As for Lonzo Ball, today marks his 10-day re-evaluation period. We should be receiving a more concrete update on his status in the near future, but K.C. Johnson did note that he remains in a splint. The Bulls are sure to approach any Ball injury with an abundance of caution as he hopes to continue his comeback season. But this specific injury also apparently ended up as a very close call, per Johnson.
Ball shared with the media last week that if he continued to play on the injury, it could’ve ended up needing surgery. With that being the case, the Bulls will want to ensure his wrist is back to 100 percent strength before throwing him back on the floor.