The Chicago Bulls will face the Miami Heat tonight at the Kaseya Center for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. In this highly anticipated play-in game, both teams will miss some of their most important players in the mix. The Bulls star forward Zach LaVine has been out of the team’s rotation for months after he had surgery on his right foot. Other than LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Onuralp Bitim, Julian Phillips, and Patrick Williams are also unavailable for the Bulls.
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According to the official injury report, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, and Ayo Dosunmu are also listed as ‘Questionable’. This doesn’t mean the Bulls are at an unfair disadvantage in the matchup because the Miami franchise will also miss some key players in the next game.
Jimmy Butler is listed as ‘Out’ on the injury report because of a right knee MCL sprain. Josh Richardson and Terry Rozier are also ‘Out’ while Duncan Robinson is ‘Probable’ for the next game. With both the teams reeling with injuries, the final play-in game will become much more interesting to see who manages to pull through. The winner of this game will secure the eighth seed in the east and face the Boston Celtics in the first round.
Zach LaVine’s season-ending injury
LaVine’s season started on the wrong foot as he missed 17 consecutive games from November 30 to January 3. In his absence, due to inflammation in his right foot, the Bulls maintained a 10-7 record. After making a comeback, LaVine’s right foot issue became a problem for him, and he had to undergo surgery. This meant that he would miss four to six months of basketball action.
According to Stat Muse, in the 25 games he played in the season, LaVine averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field, 34.9% from the three-point line, and 85.4% from the free throw line. Despite having decent numbers on the book, LaVine’s season was cut short because of his injuries and as a result, his team is finding it difficult to crack into the playoffs.
