An MRI on the left knee injury sustained by Zach LaVine during Friday's loss to the Warriors revealed no significant structural damage, and isn't expected to cause the All-Star guard to miss significant time, the Chicago Bulls announced Saturday morning.
LaVine, who didn't travel with the team for its two-game trip to Boston and Memphis, has begun treatment and will be reassessed "early next week."
LaVine exited Friday's game at the 8:28 mark of the first quarter after, in head coach Billy Donovan's words, landing funny and experiencing discomfort in his left knee after an offensive rebound.
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LaVine has been playing through minor swelling in the knee, a source told NBC Sports Chicago, but that discomfort pushed it over the edge. After committing a take foul on Steph Curry, LaVine walked off to the Bulls' locker room under his own power, and didn't return to the bench.
Given that the knee in question is the same one in which LaVine suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2017, the update is a positive one.
Now, the Bulls face the challenge of getting by without LaVine for as long as he remains out. A tall task, given that Alex Caruso (protocols), Javonte Green (groin), Derrick Jones Jr. (right knee hyperextension) and Patrick Williams (wrist surgery) all remain sidelined. Even Lonzo Ball (left knee soreness) was added to the injury report as questionable for Saturday's game against the Celtics.
"Nobody about to come and save the day. It's on us to go out there and step up," DeMar DeRozan said after Friday's game. "These two games (blowout losses to the Nets and Warriors) should be all the motivation that we need to step up, play hard, play for one another.
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"We can't complain about it. We can't whine about it. We can't look for extra help. It's on us."
NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson contributed