Zach LaVine is still up in the air, Mavs are missing some role players

UPDATE

Head coach Billy Donovan has ruled out Zach LaVine for Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

LaVine will miss his second straight game with an adductor strain. He first suffered the injury on October 30 against the Orlando Magic before playing through it two days later against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Dallas Mavericks will also be without a key contributor, ruling out big man Dereck Lively II, who was previously doubtful. You can read our original injury report post below.

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Chicago Bulls fans are still waiting for a positive update on Zach LaVine. The two-time All-Star will begin his third straight game as “questionable” on the official injury report.

LaVine originally suffered an adductor strain in the Bulls’ win over the Orlando Magic on October 30. Despite the injury, LaVine finished the game and appeared against the Brooklyn Nets, where he scored 21 points on 7-17 shooting. The Bulls ultimately decided to rest him against the Jazz, but apparently they still didn’t see enough to upgrade him on the injury report.

Chicago Sports Network’s KC Johnson shared that LaVine fired a few additional shots after the shooting. Only time will tell if this is a good sign ahead of the team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

If one thing is certain, the Bulls will likely need LaVine to remain competitive against the reigning Western Conference champions. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving started the year as one of the most dangerous backcourt duos in the NBA. With defense struggling badly early in the season, the Bulls’ best chance to make things interesting will come on offense. They need LaVine’s 3-point shooting ability as well as his transition speed.

Bulls-Mavericks injury report

The injury designations for Jalen Smith (knee), Patrick Williams (shoulder) and Josh Giddey (illness) have not changed. All three are likely to remain, with various bumps and bruises. As for Lonzo Ball, we’re still waiting for an update on his wrist injury.

Still, Chicago isn’t the only one that could be missing some key rotation players tonight. The Dallas Mavericks have already ruled out starting power forward PJ Washington, who averaged 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds to start the year. Dereck Lively II is also in danger of missing his second straight game with a right shoulder sprain as his injury status was downgraded from questionable to doubtful.

That’s good news for a Bulls team that just struggled mightily against the Utah Jazz’s physical frontcourt. While Dallas will still have the outstanding athleticism of Daniel Gafford, they will be missing some of their versatility and strength up front. Can Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams take advantage of this?

Bulls injury report

Zach LaVine – QUESTIONABLE (adductors)
Jalen Smith – PROBABLY (knee)
Patrick Williams – PROBABLE (shoulder)
Josh Giddey – PROBABLE (illness)
Lonzo Ball – OUT (wrist)

Mavericks injury report

Dereck Lively II – DOUBTFUL (shoulder)
PJ Washington – OUT (knee)
Maxi Glue – OFF (thigh)
Dante Exum – OUT – (wrist)