Bulls' Pau Gasol (hamstring) out for Game 5 vs. Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol will miss Tuesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a hamstring injury, coach Tom Thibodeau said before tip-off.
Gasol sustained a strained left hamstring during the Bulls' win in Friday's Game 3 and did not play in Sunday's Game 4 loss. He has not practiced since being injured and did not participate in Chicago's shootaround on Monday.
Taj Gibson started for Gasol in Game 4 and had six points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
Earlier Tuesday, Thibodeau did not offer much about Gasol's status for Game 5 or the rest of the series, which is tied at 2-2.
“Day-to-day ... I don’t know,” Thibodeau told the Chicago Sun-Times.
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Gasol is averaging 12.7 points and six rebounds in the series after tallying 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds a game during the regular season.
The Cavaliers went on to win Game 5 106–101, taking a 3–2 series lead.
- Scooby Axson
