The Chicago Bulls were victorious in their NBA Play-In Game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. That kept their season alive for at least one more game, as they will face off against the Miami Heat on Friday to determine who will get the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Alas, both teams are going to be without key contributors as the injury bug was prevalent during the first round of games. The Heat, are going to be without their best player, Jimmy Butler, as he suffered an MCL injury and is expected to be sidelined for weeks.
Chicago suffered a major loss as well against the Hawks. Defensive ace Alex Caruso suffered an apparent injury when he collided with teammate Andre Drummond in the early stages of the third quarter.
As seen in the video, Caruso was attempting to shake things out but just didn’t feel quite right. He would head into the locker room and his night was over after only 17 minutes of play. Caruso made his impact felt with his two-way skills, scoring six points with two rebounds, two assists and strong defense.
The Bulls are certainly going to miss that against Miami, as it doesn’t sound as if Caruso will be able to suit up. According to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Caruso suffered a significant ankle sprain on the play. His availability for Friday night’s game is in doubt, per Wojnarowski.
That would be a huge blow for the Bulls to have to overcome as Caruso is a big part of their game plan on both ends of the floor. He is their best defender in the starting five, capable of defending multiple positions with success.
Without him, Javonte Green could find his way into the starting lineup as he replaced Caruso at the time of the injury. NBA veteran Torrey Craig or Dalen Terry could also see an increase in minutes with the second unit.
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