The Chicago Bulls will play their final game before the All-Star break when they welcome the Boston Celtics to the United Center, and although their injury situation still isn’t great, it sounds like they’ll get at least some good news for the contest.
After the team’s shootaround Thursday morning, it was revealed that Jimmy Butler will play for the second straight game, and that he will have “no restrictions” following a battle with a nagging heel injury. Butler had missed four of the six games on the Bulls’ recent road trip with the injury, but he came back and played 38 minutes in the team’s victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Butler isn’t the only Bulls player that will be in the mix for the final game of the season’s first half. Forward Nikola Mirotic, who has missed the Bulls’ last two games with a back issue, will likely be back in the lineup for Thursday’s game, according to Hoiberg.
Unfortunately, the news isn’t all good on the injury front. Dwyane Wade, who has been hobbled by wrist issues in recent weeks, is unlikely to play Thursday night as he’s dealing with an illness. The guard has missed the Bulls’ last two games and three of their last four, and the team looks like it will simply let him get an extra jump on the All-Star break over the weekend.
Finally, Paul Zipser has been formally ruled out of the game as an ankle injury continues to hamper his progress toward a return to the floor.
Tip time of Thursday’s game against the Celtics will come at 7 p.m. Central time, and the game will air nationally on TNT and locally on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
