Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Josh Giddey Ruled Out, Heat Missing Multiple Guards

A jam-packed week as led to some changes to the Chicago Bulls' injury report.

The most notable downgrade has come for jumbo guard Josh Giddey, who came into the day as questionable due to injury management. Faced with his first back-to-back set since returning from his hamstring strain, the Bulls appear to be acting out of an abundance of caution and will sit him.

The Bulls' training staff has already been slow to work him back into the mix, holding him to under 30 minutes in each of his four games since returning from the injury. It wasn't until Wednesday night's meeting against the Pacers that he returned to the starting lineup.

As for Coby White, he is in line to play only his second back-to-back of the season. The Bulls held him out of the first several sets once White returned from his calf strain in mid-November. Then, once they finally did allow him to play in a back-to-back one month later, White was forced to leave the following game early with calf tightness. He proceeded to miss three more games before returning on a minutes restriction and with a plan to, once again, sit back-to-backs.

Nonetheless, the Bulls have seen enough to let White give it another try. He has played some of his best basketball over the last couple of weeks, averaging 21.2 points in his past seven games. Whether it be his three-point stroke or his transition speed, the soon-to-be free agent is looking a lot more like his former self with the trade deadline only a week away.

With that said, it will still be interesting to see how head coach Billy Donovan chooses to handle White this weekend in Miami. Even if the guard is looking fully healthy, four games in five days is tough on anyone. The recent injury history alone could be a reason to rest him at least one of these upcoming games.

Jalen Smith was also added to the injury report following Wednesday night's tight loss. The good news is that he should still be able to take the floor. The big man is dealing with some right calf tightness, but is listed as probable. For what it's worth, Smith moved back into a reserve role on Wednesday, but he still clocked 27 minutes of action and finished with a double-double. Donovan has clearly built up a lot of trust in the versatile frontcourt player.

The Miami Heat's list is even longer. While a handful of their injured players will play through their bumps and bruises, this will not be the case for two of Erik Spoelstra's top backcourt contributors. Tyler Herro did not make the trip to Chicago and is out with a rib injury. Pesky defender Davion Mitchell is also sidelined with a shoulder sprain.

All things considered, dodging both should give the Bulls a small sigh of relief, but this is also a group that lost to a Herro-less Heat team by 36 in November. If we've learned anything about the Bulls, it's that they can not take a single team lightly.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Jalen Smith – PROBABLE (calf)
Josh Giddey – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring management)
Tre Jones – OUT (hamstring)
Zach Collins – OUT (toe)

Miami Heat Injury Report

Norman Powell – PROBABLE (back)
Kel'el Ware – PROBABLE (hamstring)
Tyler Herro – OUT (ribs)
Davion Mitchell – OUT (shoulder)