Chicago Bulls Injury Report: A Big Step for Josh Giddey, Nets Rule Out MPJ

The Chicago Bulls shared some encouraging news on Sunday morning.

Ahead of the team's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center, Josh Giddey was assigned to the organization's G League affiliate. The move signals a practice session for the guard, who is set to miss his 10th consecutive game on Sunday night.

Giddey suffered a hamstring strain during the third quarter of Chicago's meeting with Minnesota on December 29. While there was initial optimism that he avoided a strain, further testing revealed that he would have to miss extended time. Giddey was playing the best basketball of his career in the lead up to the injury, averaging career-highs across the board and even being thrown into the All-Star conversation.

Head coach Billy Donovan shared earlier this week that Giddey had been making good progress. While he did not share a specific date for his expected return, he did suggest that they hoped to get him in practice sooner rather than later. Assigning him to the Windy City Bulls means Giddey has taken that next step, and now all eyes will be on how he responds.

If one thing is for sure, Chicago is expecting him to come out of the on-court work feeling good. They have upgraded him on the injury report for the first time since the strain, making him doubtful for this evening's meeting with Brooklyn. To be sure, there is extremely little chance that Giddey ends up taking the floor, but this seems to open the door for a return as soon as Tuesday night's meeting against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls will also play again on Thursday against the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

In other injury news, Patrick Williams has landed on the latest report with a sprained ankle. He is now questionable for this evening's second straight battle with the Nets. If Williams does have to sit out tonight, it will be only his third game without clocking minutes this season. Nevertheless, his time on the court has still taken a hit in recent weeks due to a lack of production.

Chicago is also about to catch a huge break tonight. Brooklyn's leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. has been ruled out, as the team has opted to rest the forward. Porter Jr. dropped 26 points on Chicago this past Friday, and this included the go-ahead bucket in the final seconds. He dominated them in their first meeting this season, as well, scoring 33 points on 50.0 percent shooting in early December.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Patrick Williams – QUESTIONABLE
Josh Giddey – DOUBTFUL
Zach Collins – OUT

Brooklyn Nets Injury Report

Michael Porter Jr. – OUT (rest)
Drake Powell – OUT (knee)
Zaire Williams – OUT (conditioning)
Haywood Highsmith – OUT (knee)