After defeating the Atlanta Hawks 131-116 on Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls have given themselves one more shot to make the playoffs via the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Originally finishing the season as the 9-seed in the East, the Bulls are now set to take on the Miami Heat for the rights to the 8-seed and a date with the 64-win Boston Celtics in the first round. However, injuries continue to pile up for both teams. The Heat are set to be without Jimmy Butler due to a MCL injury, and Bulls defensive guard Alex Caruso left their previous game against the Hawks early due to an ankle sprain.
This injury occurred to Caruso when Andre Drummond plowed right through him after not seeing him around the half-court line. Caruso immediately went down, grabbing at his ankle in pain before heading to the Bulls’ bench. In a total of 13 minutes, the 30-year-old guard had just three points and a rebound.
There have been a lot of question marks surrounding Caruso’s status for this win-or-go-home game for the Bulls. Although he was forced to leave Wednesday’s game early, it seems like the All-Defensive guard will suit up against the Heat. In fact, Caruso told reporters on Friday morning that he expects to play against Miami in the 8-seed play-in game, according to ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
The more bodies the Bulls have, the better in this matchup. Without Butler and Terry Rozier as well, the Heat are going to be spreading the ball around on offense and primarily playing through Tyler Herro in the backcourt. Caruso and his defensive abilities are extremely important to their success, especially since he will be the team’s primary defender in this game.
With Caruso healthy, the Bulls’ chances of advancing to the playoffs have definitely increased.
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