fbpx
Skip to main content

Report: Jimmy Butler expected to return to Bulls’ lineup Saturday

After missing the last 11 games with a knee strain, Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler is finally expected to get back in action.

Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reports Butler should be back at practice Friday and will play against the Houston Rockets in front of the home crowd at the United Center on Saturday.

The timing of Butler’s return couldn’t be any better for the Bulls. Chicago is currently on a four-game losing skid and is 3-9 in its last 12 contests. Another loss Saturday would see the Bulls go below .500 (currently 30-30), and this team is already falling like a rock in the standings of late.

Once seen as a lock to make the playoffs, injuries and bad chemistry have pushed this team into the No. 10 seed, and the playoffs could be a pipe dream if things don’t get turned around quickly.

Derrick Rose is back again after missing some time with a hamstring injury, and getting Butler back should make a big difference as well.

Once power forward Nikola Mirotic returns (he’s due back in another week or two after an extended absence stemming from an appendectomy), the Bulls might have a shot to not only win enough games to get back into the postseason but also perhaps make some noise in the first round.

Butler led the Bulls in scoring before he was forced out of the lineup with his knee injury. He is averaging 22.4 points, 4.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds this year and is the team’s best defender on the perimeter. Needless to say, his return would be a welcome injection of life this Saturday.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: