With 13 games remaining on their schedule this season, the Chicago Bulls appear to be in line to compete for a playoff spot via the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic have stepped up for the Bulls in Zach LaVine's absence, but the story of this season for Chicago has been the emergence of Coby White. Unfortunately for the Bulls, White has been injured, resulting in his absence over their last three games.
Luckily, Chicago hasn't run into much competition over their last three games, as they bounced back from a 126-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers by defeating the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers. At 34-35 on the season, the Bulls still control their own destiny and could possibly move up in the standings in order to avoid the one-and-done 9-seed vs. 10-seed play-in game.
In order to do so, the Bulls are going to need White back on the court and healthy. This is especially true for Thursday night, when the Bulls take on the surging Houston Rockets, who have won six straight games and own the Western Conference's longest active win streak. Whether or not White is able to return from his hip injury remains a question mark as of Thursday afternoon.
Coby White injury status vs. Rockets
White has been dealing with a right hip strain, which has resulted in him missing the Bulls' last three games. This injury occurred on March 13, when Chicago defeated the Indiana Pacers 132-129 in overtime. Late in the fourth quarter, Pacers big man Pascal Siakam landed on White following a chasedown block. Further imaging was conducted, revealing White's hip strain.
After getting back in the swing of things at practice and feeling better, White is confident in his chances of playing on Thursday night against the Rockets.
“I mean, the minutes have been piling up. But I mean, that was an incident that I really, you know, that was one of those things that you can't control,” White stated after practice on Wednesday, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “But, like I said, I dodged a bullet. It could've been a lot worse… I'm just glad it was nothing serious and nothing more than a strain.”
White fully practiced on Wednesday, and his hope is to play on Thursday night in Houston. In regards to his status for this game, White remains questionable to play due to his hip strain.
The Bulls have fought hard without White on the floor. In their 127-98 victory over the Wizards, Ayo Dosunmu recorded a game-high 34 points and nine assists. Dosunmu followed up this performance with 23 points and 10 assists in the team's most recent 110-107 win over the Trail Blazers. Should White be ruled out again on Thursday, Dosunmu will continue to be a primary ball-handler and playmaker at the point guard position.
Over the summer, White was given a three-year, $36 million contract to remain in Chicago. So far, it appears as if the Bulls have definitely been happy with their investment, as White has averaged 19.5 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range during his breakout campaign.
The Bulls will provide an update on White's status against Houston later in the day.
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