Zach LaVine, Coby White and Garrett Temple will all miss the Bulls' Wednesday night matchup with the Phoenix Suns, head coach Billy Donovan said pregame.
It marks LaVine's first absence of the 2020-21 season. Entering the night, he was the only Bull to appear in all 45 of the team's games.
But LaVine had been playing through a sprained ankle since the trade deadline, and said after Monday's loss to the Golden State Warriors that he reaggravated the injury and would consider resting to fully heal.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"I just don’t think physically he’s been right the last couple games," Donovan said. "He can run and he can cut and he can do those things, but he can’t do them at the level that he needs to do it at. Like I think the starting, the stopping, the planting, the jumping the explosiveness, I think he’s felt like he’s lost a lot of that. And we just got to help him try to get that back.
"I think in his heart he always wants to play. I think every player’s that way. But I also think he’s got to take a step back and recognize what’s best for him and what’s best for our team."
Donovan said he wasn't sure of a timeline for LaVine. The Bulls play at the Utah Jazz on Friday before returning home for one game against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, then hitting the road again.
White missed the Warriors game with neck pain. Temple left after two first-half minutes with a hamstring ailment.
NBA
Frank Kaminsky (health and safety protocols) and Abdel Nader (right knee soreness) are out on the Suns side.