Sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining, the Chicago Bulls have a date with the NBA's second-best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, before taking on the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
With a back-to-back contest looming against the 10th-place Heat, the Bulls appear to favor rest over competition in a clash with the Cavaliers. Chicago will be without Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones, who have been out of the lineup for quite some time. However, Coby White has surprisingly listed as out ahead of tonight's contest.
Chicago prioritizes rest ahead of back-to-back
The Eastern Conference's Player of the Month in March will be rested versus Cleveland. In three contests against the Cavaliers this season, White has averaged 24.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.7 three-pointers per game. Points will be hard to come by without White, who scored 28 or more in every game in April. Aside from their leading scorer, Chicago's second, third, and fourth leading scorers will also be absent.
Nikola Vucevic, Josh Giddey, and Kevin Huerter will be in street clothes as the Bulls take on the Cavaliers. Vooch will rest his right calf, which caused him to miss seven games from late February through early March. Giddey will miss tonight's affair with right flexor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy, or in layman's terms, a sore right pinky. Lastly, Huerter is out with a right cervical strain.
Cleveland to only be without Donovan Mitchell
Despite having (almost) locked up the Eastern Conference's number-one seed, the Cavs will trot out most of its players—perhaps in anticipation of a second-half blowout versus a depleted Bulls squad. All-Star Donovan Mitchell is the only notable Cavalier listed on the injury report.
Mitchell has already been ruled out with an ankle sprain. The Cavaliers' leading scorer turned his ankle in an April 6 contest against the Sacramento Kings. The six-time All-Star rolled his left ankle and immediately came out of the game. Nonetheless, Mitchell returned to action seven minutes later, alleviating any lasting concerns for the star player's health.
Full injury report for Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Lonzo Ball (Right Wrist Sprain), Kevin Huerter (Right Cervical Strain), Josh Giddey (Right Flexor Carpi Ulnaris Tendinopathy), Tre Jones (Left Midfoot Sprain), Nikola Vucevic (Right Calf Soreness; Injury Management), Coby White (Rest).
Cleveland Cavaliers
Out: Donovan Mitchell (Left Ankle Sprain).
Questionable: Craig Porter Jr. (Illness).