During last night's victory in San Antonio, Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis's night ended a bit earlier than everyone else's after taking a shot to the face on a rebound attempt. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter while boxing out his matchup, Zach LaVine jolted in front of Buzelis to grab the defensive rebound and caught the youngster's nose with his elbow in the process. The 20-year-old walked off the court immediately, holding his nose, which was dripping blood. He would not return, and his status for tonight's game was in the air until the final injury report was released, with his name not on it. How bad is his injury, and what's his newest nickname since rocking the new headgear?
Not Broken, Only Bruised
Luckily for an emerging Buzelis, he did not break anything that would have sidelined him for several weeks or months. The term surfacing is a "nose contusion," which should only take a few weeks of healing for a brutal bruise and swollen nose. In response, since he's continuing to play through the pain, the rookie is rocking a new piece of protective gear, as seen previously worn by Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and others who suffered similar facial injuries. He's balling out regardless of the wardrobe update.
Matas Buzelis exited tonight's game early after he was hit in the face on a rebound attempt. pic.twitter.com/f6HFYS7Na5
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) December 6, 2024
He's been the most productive Bull through the first half, leading the team in plus/minus and draining his first two three-point attempts. This is a relieving sight, as often the mask can affect performance or impact the player's field of vision. His recent hot streak of all-around stellar play seems unwavered with the injury.
Not Batman, But BuzMan
Credit to Chuck Swirsky for this one, Chicago's long-time radio play-by-play announcer, who saw Buzelis on the sidelines and recognized the similarity between the Bulls rookie and the superhero Batman. BuzMan, as Swirsky has nicknamed him, continues to make his presence known on both ends of the floor, and one LaVine elbow is not enough to slow his steadily rising comfortability and positive impact on Chicago's lineup.
Matas Buzelis dealing with a nose contusion wearing a black mask. Looks like Batman. So why not, " BuzMan" pic.twitter.com/NmdExiCwal
— chuck swirsky (@ctsbulls) December 7, 2024
Can BuzMan and the Bulls finish the job in the United Center tonight and build their first three-game winning streak of the season? They'll need to ramp up the defensive effort and start knocking down their three-point shots to keep the streak alive in the second half.
