Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic will not play in Game 3 of the team's first-round series with a knee injury, the Bulls announced Tuesday. sustained during the team's Game 2 victory over the Bucks.
Nikola Mirotic to miss Game 3 and maybe more after suffering knee injury
The Chicago Bulls’ dynamic rookie forward will miss Game 3 is in jeopardy of missing more time after hurting his knee in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Mirotic left the Bulls' 91-82 win over the Bucks in the fourth quarter after a scrum that resulted in some fireworks with Zaza Pachulia. Mirotic banged knees with O.J. Mayo when scrambling for a loose ball, and he also suffered the quad injury on the play. About a minute earlier, Mirotic took an elbow to the head from Pachulia, who was ejected after the second incident. Mirotic does not have a concussion, per Thibodeau.
Bulls vs. Bucks
This is a tough blow to the Bulls, as Mirotic has become a key part of their rotation over the second half of the season and into the playoffs after getting spotty minutes early in the year. Injuries helped give Mirotic a bigger role, and he was Chicago's top offensive threat in March, averaging 21 points with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler nursing injuries.
Mirotic’s March helped make him a Rookie of the Year candidate, and the Bulls have played some of their best basketball with him on the floor. The 24-year-old posted a plus-6.1 net rating during the regular season, the best mark on Chicago, per NBA.com.
Mirotic has been especially valuable as a stretch-4, although Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has had some issues finding him minutes at power forward when the full complement of big men have been available. Thibodeau has turned to using Mirotic as a small forward in order to get him more minutes, but those lineups haven't been quite as effective because he's better suited as a power forward and creates more mismatches at that position.
Mirotic's effectiveness at power forward was on display in the Bulls' win over the Bucks on Monday. After Chicago stumbled through a dreadful 11-point first quarter, Mirotic was forced into power forward duty in the second quarter when Taj Gibson got into foul trouble. That opened up the Bulls' offense, as all of a sudden Chicago found driving lanes and got some easy baskets.
Just like the regular season, the Bulls have been great with Mirotic on the court in the postseason, albeit in a small sample size. Chicago has outscored opponents by 13.9 points per 100 possessions in his 36 playoff minutes, second to only Derrick Rose on the team, per NBA.com.
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