DeMar DeRozan headed to the locker room after stepping on a defender's foot and hitting the deck on Monday night. Later cited as a quadriceps strain, DeRozan had mixed signals when talking about how soon he'll be back on the court. He started with, "If I leave a game, it's something serious," and later said, "I feel fine other than just being irritated and uncomfortable." In his absence, Zach Lavine carried the Bulls back from down 16 to within two points with less than 50 seconds left, scoring 15 of his 27 in the fourth quarter. K.C. Johnson, among other Chicago reporters, has surfaced with the latest on the Bulls' superstar's quad injury.
Labeled "Day to Day"
First diagnosed by DeRozan postgame, he called the injury a light 'strain.' After falling to the floor, he said he could not move his quadricep how he'd like to, did not want the limited abilities to hinder the team, and effectively pulled himself out. To that point, he'd scored 13 points on six of nine shooting from the field, and the Bulls were down four points midway through the third quarter. Afterward, he had some troubling things to say regarding the leg injury.
"if I leave out of a game, it’s something serious. I play through a lot that I don’t mention. My whole career, I’ve kind of been stubborn when it comes to that. I just want to always be on the floor."
DeMar DeRozan via NBC Chicago
While all of Chicago felt their hearts sink after hearing that, he followed it up with a more relieving update that contradicted his first statement, leading everyone to believe he'd be back sooner than later.
"I feel fine, just irritated and uncomfortable,"..."It’s been bothering me for eight games. I just never said nothing. I do a lot of things that nobody don’t know, You feel it."
DeMar DeRozan via NBC Chicago
DeRozan finished his media session by adding that he would be monitoring it "day-to-day" and that he'd see "how he feels tomorrow" before deciding on Chicago's next game. Wednesday night, they head to Washington to take on the Wizards and may be without DeRozan for the first time this season and only the ninth game since joining the team a season ago.
No Fourth Quarter King, Enter Zach Lavine
DeRozan has been widely known as the "King Of The Fourth" since arriving in the Windy City. With several buzzer-beaters, and the most points scored in the clutch league-wide each of the last two seasons, it's a fitting title. Zach Lavine notably took a step back when the former Raptor and Spur got to town, but last night was a refresher to Bulls' fans that he's still got the closing ability. Scoring 15 of his 27 points in the fourth, leading a 16-point comeback, Lavine nearly carried the Bulls to their third win this year over the number one-seeded Boston Celtics.
Over the last two games, Lavine has scored 27 in the fourth quarter alone and buried six threes with under seven minutes to play in those contests. Finally feeling 'like himself' again, his teammates and head coach Billy Donovan are noticing the page that's been turned for the two-time all-star in his demeanor and confidence changes.
"I thought his overall play was really good, he gave us the chance in the fourth quarter."..."He KNew a lot would fall on his shoulders, and I give him credit for taking on that responsibility."
Billy Donovan via NBC Chicago
With DeRozan possibly out or not 100% for the coming days or weeks, Lavine is more than capable of leading the charge offensively. In January, he's averaging a hair under a 50/50/90 shooting line, scoring 28.6 points per game with five threes made per game. He's also averaging a team-best 4.8 assists per contest during that span.
If DeRozan has to miss any stretch this season, it would ideally be now. The next five games for Chicago are against teams who are at or under .500, and with a game and a half cushion over the 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, they can afford to drop a few before their MVP candidate returns. Hopefully, Lavine and Nikola Vucevic can find their stride, and when DeRozan returns, the Bulls can take a full head of steam into the all-star break and beyond.
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