Tag: Bulls

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LeBron James returns after 13-game injury absence, scores 19 points off bench in Lakers loss to Bulls

LeBron James returns after 13-game injury absence, scores 19 points off bench in Lakers loss to Bulls

LeBron James made his return from a right foot injury on Sunday, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-game winning streak came to an end with a 118-108 defeat to the Chicago Bulls. James finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes

The Lakers announced less than an hour before tipoff that James would be available after missing the past 13 games. He tested his foot in pregame warmups and was deemed good to go for the Sunday matinee. However, James was not part of the Lakers starting lineup. Instead, James came off the bench for just the second time in his NBA career (1,680 games counting the playoffs) and the first time since 2007.

James said that his injury was actually a torn tendon that typically requires much longer than four weeks to recover from. In fact, multiple doctors recommended season-ending surgery, but James sought another opinion from the “LeBron James of feet” and was able to return to the court on Sunday. 

The injury itself came in the middle of a Feb. 26 clash with the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers trailed by as many as 27 points in the game, but James played through the injury to help the Lakers complete the comeback. He finished that contest with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but had been sidelined ever since.

The Lakers did more than just tread water in his absence. They went 8-5 without James, and after spending most of the season in the No. 13 slot in the Western Conference standings, had risen to No. 8. after Friday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder got the Lakers to .500 for the first time this season. With the defeat to the Bulls, they are now back under .500 at 37-38, and have dropped down to No. 9 in the jumbled playoff picture. 

Of course, getting to the postseason is one thing. Winning there is another. A hobbled James would have made a real playoff run almost impossible. Anthony Davis has kept the team afloat without James. Austin Reaves has emerged as a key starter and ball-handler with James out, but ultimately, this team’s postseason dreams rely on having two superstars. James is one of them, and the roster around him looks significantly stronger since the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt at the deadline.

After Sunday, the Lakers have seven games left on their schedule. There is still time for LeBron to quickly ramp up for a postseason run. In 2021, James returned from an injury with only two games left in the regular season and was never quite himself in a first-round loss to Phoenix. With more time left to work with, though, the Lakers have never looked like more of a postseason threat than they do today. 

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DeMar DeRozan injury update: Bulls All-Star to miss last game before break with strained quad

DeMar DeRozan injury update: Bulls All-Star to miss last game before break with strained quad

DeMar DeRozan is not healthy. The Chicago Bulls star is listed as out for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a strained right quad. DeRozan also missed Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. 

DeRozan left Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic early because “I didn’t want to risk nothing,” he told reporters. He added that “it’s something that I’ve been playing on for the last month and a half, I just never said anything.” 

After the Magic game, DeRozan said he still planned on playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game. The next day, however, he had an MRI, which revealed a Grade 1 strain. 

“I don’t think it’s significant,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday, via NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. “But we’ll see how he progresses and how he feels. He knows his body well. He’s always very conscientious about taking care of it. We hope with treatment and how diligent he is, he’ll progress. But there’s enough discomfort there for him where he’s having a hard time moving and cutting and jumping.”

If the injury is bad enough to keep him out of two straight Bulls games, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll suit up in Salt Lake City. If he does, then do not expect the six-time All-Star to log many minutes. Despite the injury, Bulls PR stated he would participate in the game on Sunday.

DeRozan isn’t the only Eastern Conference All-Star whose status for Sunday’s game is in question. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is dealing with foot soreness, and Jaylen Brown missed the Boston Celtics’ four games preceding the break because of a facial fracture. If any of them need injury replacements, candidates include New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Sixers guard James Harden, Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.

In 53 games this season, DeRozan has averaged 25.4 points on 59.5 percent true shooting, plus 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Despite this, Chicago is 26-32 and 11th in the East, with an offense that ranks 24th and a defense that ranks seventh. In related news, the Bulls are reportedly interested in adding Russell Westbrook, John Wall, or Patrick Beverley on the buyout market.