After being sidelined for the Bulls‘ last seven games, center Nikola Vucevic will return to action on Wednesday night in Houston, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Vucevic tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago and was in the NBA’s health and safety protocols up until this week. Although he has been cleared to play, he’ll be on a minutes limit tonight, per Cowley.
Vucevic got off to a slow start this season, averaging just 13.6 PPG on 39.5% shooting in 11 games (34.2 MPG). However, he has contributed 10.9 RPG and a career-best 4.3 APG, and played a key role in Chicago’s hot start.
The Bulls are 8-3 with Vucevic in the lineup and have gone 4-3 without him. The big man has also been part of many of Chicago’s best defensive lineups — the club’s defensive rating is 101.1 when he plays, compared to 106.2 when he sits.
Meanwhile, Bulls guard Alex Caruso had initially been considered a game-time decision for Wednesday due to a left wrist contusion, according to Cowley (Twitter link). However, he has been listed as available on the team’s latest injury report.
Why are teams always getting one of their top players back from an injury every time they’re playing the Rockets? Houston just can’t catch a break this season.
probably cuz opposing teams see it more as a scrimmage.
Maybe Chicago wouldn’t have lost if they took the Rockets seriously.
You are right. Bulls took them for granted and there was no effort on defense. House’s 3 point fields goals were back breakers. Sengun is a nice find by you guys. I like him a lot. Just need playing time. Christian Wood is just an awkward fit with that team now. He should be traded for a veteran to show these young kids what it means to be in the NBA as a rookie. Green looked good before his injury, KPJ had flashes. Sengun impressed me the most last night. Under the right tutelage, he can be a great piece for this team. But yes, bulls got their asses handed to them. They did not defend the 3 point shot at all. 17 made 3’s for Houston is inexcusable. Good win for you guys. I like Silas as a coach too. I’m just not sure how long they’ll stick with him.
Houston sucks ….. enjoy the rebuild. This yr is not about winning. You won’t win for a VERY long time. If you don’t do this right. So you should only be focused on rebuilding.
A 1-16 team sucks? What an amazing observation. Thank you.
The Rockets got Kevin Porter back tonight, then in the first half they lose Jalen Green for who knows how long. It’s really hard to enjoy this rebuild.
Like a true fan. You still don’t get it. A rebuild takes yrs. So you got yrs to troll all other teams. And post about all their troubles. And blame for the Rockets problems.
And just to clarify. Rockets will Suck for YEARS.
Bingo Al. It’s not about W/L it’s about actually rebuilding from scratch. Finding guys who are apart of the next winning core. I don’t think it’s Wood. I don’t think it’s KPJ. Both are nice players but they aren’t cornerstones on this team. Each game should be about the fundamentals about basketball. They have FOUR 19 year olds on this team. I think they challenge the 9-73 record by 76ers. They need to trade for a few veterans who can help Green and Sengun grow. I really like those two. Rest can get thrown into the Gulf of Mexico.