One weekend, Zach Lavin and Kevin Durant both left the field with knee injuries. The core players of the top two teams in the East have been injured and retired, and for the Chicago Bulls, who have not been in good shape, Lavine's injury is really worse.
After losing 112-114 to the Boston Celtics, the Bulls have lost four of their last five games, winning only the weak detroit Pistons. Two consecutive national live broadcasts, the Bulls face two second-place teams, which is clearly the beginning of testing the Bulls' quality, and they are embarrassed. The Bulls lost by 26 points against the Second Place Brooklyn Nets in the East, trailing by 38 points at their most. On Jan. 15, the Bulls faced the Second Place Golden State Warriors in the West, losing 138-96.
This time, the Boos of the Joint Center rang out earlier. At halftime, the Bulls walked off the court and were booed by fans as they trailed the Warriors by 31 points.
"Obviously, we're going to play harder." Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said, "We're going to have to play more games in the state we're in as a team. ”
In the game against the Warriors, LaVine only played 4 minutes. He felt unwell when he landed on a rebound and then withdrew from the game and didn't come back, which led to a doubling of concerns about his injury.
On the morning of Jan. 16, the Bulls officially updated guard Zach Lavine's injury. The results of the MRI showed that Lavine had no significant structural damage to his left knee, avoiding the possibility of serious injuries and not expecting him to miss a long time. At the same time, the team said that LaVine will be re-evaluated next week.
After the game, the Bulls were glad that LaVine did not suffer a serious injury, but considering that LaVine suffered a torn knee forte ligament in the same knee when he played for the Timberwolves in 2017, this time the Bulls hope to be more cautious.
This season, LaVine has played 38 games for the Bulls, with the highest attendance in the team. He averaged 24.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game and shot 49 percent from the field. He and his new partner, Demar DeRo, favored the engine for the Bulls' offensive end, who had been on the run without the efforts of both stars.
To some extent, the Bulls lineup is incomplete. Lavin, along with Alex Caruso, Jarvent Green, Patrick Williams, Taylor Cook and Derrick Jones Jr., are all on the injury list. Now, the Bulls have to get through without a second scorer.
LaVine has been playing with knee discomfort. Sources revealed that Lavin had some slight knee swelling before, but he did not disclose the matter. Donovan said, "Because of the length and duration of the season and the number of games played, these guys are always dealing with different issues and things like [coming in with an injury]. But apparently nothing major made it impossible for him to play. ”
DeRozan said of Lavin's absence, saying: "No one is going to come to the rescue. It is our responsibility to improve ourselves. These two games should be the driving force for us to move forward, to work harder and fight for each other. This is just another challenge that we have to face. We have nothing to complain about. We can't complain. We couldn't have asked for extra help. ”
After Lavine is injured, who can carry the team's attack with DeRozan? Nikola Vucevic is one of the easiest options. He is a two-time All-Star and the only player on the Bulls other than DeRozan to average more than 20 points per game in a single season.
On Jan. 15, Vucevic had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, shooting 9-of-13. It's just that the Bulls lost so completely that his efficient double-double didn't make any sense. On the 16th, Vucevic played quite efficiently in the Bulls' game against the Celtics. He contributed a team-high 27 points and six rebounds and six assists on 12-of-20 shooting. In the final nine seconds of the game, DeRozan received the ball and was immediately clipped, and he quickly passed the ball into the hands of Vucevic at the top of the arc, which was a great opportunity to open a three-point shot, but he shot short. DeRozan caught the ball that popped up, turned around and leaned back to jumper still missing.
There is no doubt that the Bulls, who are missing major generals in this game, have performed quite well, and Vucevic's outstanding performance on the offensive end has compensated for the impact of Lavine's absence. The Bulls shot 50.6 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range, both higher than the Celtics. They also did a good job of transferring the ball, always looking for more stable shooting points, with 44 shots and 31 assists in the game. Unlike the last two games, the Bulls didn't stumble because of their own mistakes, only six mistakes.
Vucevic has averaged 16.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season, and Vucevic should be more involved in the team's offense without Lavin. Perhaps the Bulls are not worried about Vucevic's offense, but about whether he can maintain stability on the defensive end, especially in terms of defensive demolition.
The Bulls' lead in the East is being narrowed. Although they are still in the first place in the East, they are only half a win ahead of the Nets. Next, the Bulls will play against Ja Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies, who have been gaining momentum lately. Will the first in the East change hands?