Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic has worked his way into a more regular role in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, but the team will have to play without him on Thursday night as the rookie has been ruled out for Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Mirotic, who played 22 minutes and scored eight points and hauled in four rebounds for the Bulls in their 91-82 win over the Bucks in Game 2 of the series, suffered a strained quadriceps muscle in the game, and he was listed as day-to-day by the Bulls after the contest. He is also dealing with a sore knee that he suffered in an altercation with Bucks center Zaza Pachulia.
On Wednesday, the team confirmed that he will miss Game 3 of the series because of the ailment, meaning that the squad will have to find a way to replace his production in the lineup.
“It’s going to be a few days,” Thibodeau said on Tuesday. “He’s sore. That’s to be expected. We’ll know better after a few days of treatment.”
Mirotic will likely be replaced by Taj Gibson, who was limited on Monday as he was in foul trouble throughout the game.
The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game when Mirotic was involved in a fracas with Pachulia. Pachulia ended up being ejected from the game with his second technical foul on the play.
