On the evening of March 21, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls will once again try and right the ship as they take on a Central Division foe in the Detroit Pistons. A team that has struggled of late even more than the Bulls, the Pistons are just looking to make it to the offseason with some hope for the following season and with a high lottery draft pick.
Donovan and the Bulls look like they will once again be without one of their veterans in the rotation in this meeting on the road with the Pistons in the Motor City. The Bulls were rather healthy since the All-Star Break concluded back on March 11, but this key former Brooklyn Nets two-way shooting guard/wing has missed a good stretch of games this month.
According to a report from K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago on Twitter on March 21, the Bulls will be without veteran 34-year-old shooting guard/wing Garrett Temple for the fifth straight game against the Pistons.
Garrett Temple will miss his 5th straight game with sprained ankle tonight. Bulls face Pistons at 6 pm Central.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 21, 2021
Impact on Chicago Bulls of the fifth game missed for Garrett Temple
The last game that Temple played in for the Bulls came back on March 12 in their post-All-Star Break 11-point loss at the hands of former Chicago star shooting guard/small forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Temple did get to play in two games for the Bulls since the All-Star Break let out.
However, the stability in this Bulls rotation looks like it did take a hit since Temple started missing games due to this sprained ankle injury he’s currently dealing with.
The likes of shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine, veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., along with a pair of starters in Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams will need to continue to step up with elevated minutes and roles in the absence of Temple. A key two-way player like Temple is valuable when in the rotation for this team.
The Bulls come into this meeting with the Pistons with a record of 18-22 following their collapse of an overtime loss on the road at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on March 19. Tip-off time between the Bulls and Pistons on March 21 is set for 6 p.m. CT.