Chicago Bulls Injury Report: More New Faces Available, Will Nikola Jokic Play?

If you thought the Chicago Bulls were unrecognizable on Thursday night, just wait until this evening's matchup at the United Center.

Welcoming the Denver Nuggets into the building, the Bulls are in line to have several additional newcomers appear in the rotation. Anfernee Simons and Jaden Ivey both suited up in Chicago's battle with Toronto, immediately taking on a starting role. Guerschon Yabusele also made his Bulls debut off the bench, and he was arguably the team's standout contributor. After recording just one game in double figures with the Knicks this season, Yabusele had 15 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

All three are expected to be on the floor again tonight, with Simons and Ivey likely to remain in the starting lineup. However, their minutes could be in for a shake-up. Billy Donovan will seemingly have his four other new players available this evening: Collin Sexton, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and Nick Richards. All four participated in the Bulls' shootaround earlier in the day, and none are currently listed on the team's injury report.

Indeed, unlike the roster, the Bulls' report against the Nuggets appears very similar to what we saw before the deadline. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones both remain sidelined with their respective hamstring injuries. While each could be seen doing some high kicks and lunges at shootaround, their timetable for a return continues to be unclear.

Jalen Smith is also currently listed as questionable with a calf strain. The big man did start the Bulls' previous two games against the Raptors and Bucks, but has been dealing with this issue for the past couple of weeks. If Smith can't go, the good news for Chicago is that they added a couple of new bodies in the frontcourt at the deadline.

Richards is a more traditional five who could see a lot of minutes because of his larger frame and rim-protecting capabilities. Yabusele may not offer the height that Richards does, but he has a physical play style that immediately made an impact in his first outing. Even if Smith can go, the expectation is that we see plenty of these two new bigs, as Zach Collins remains out indefinitely with his toe injury.

New big man Nick Richards is likely due for a lot of minutes on this smaller Bulls team.

He’s also got A LOT of new guards to help set him up. Even gets to be reunited with Collin Sexton, who he was a McDonald’s All-American with. pic.twitter.com/m591KfysZ1
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) February 7, 2026

It's worth noting that both Mac McClung and Yuki Kawamura are also listed as out. The latter has appeared in several games over the last week or so, while McClung joined Chicago on a two-way deal on deadline day. While he appeared in Thursday's contest, the Bulls were short-handed in the backcourt as they waited for all their new players to arrive. The odds of him seeing much more playing time at the NBA level are low.

On the other side of the ball, the Denver Nuggets continue to be extremely banged-up. While they are slowly welcoming back a handful of key contributors, Nikola Jokic and Cameron Johnson entered the day as questionable. Jokic only recently returned from a nearly month-long absence due to a knee injury. He is now reportedly dealing with an ankle issue after he clocked 44+ minutes against the Knicks on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets will for sure be without two of their top options at the wing. Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson are both expected to miss significant time after each suffering a hamstring strain.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

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

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

Christian Braun – PROBABLE (ankle)
Cameron Johnson – QUESTIONABLE (knee)
Nikole Jokic – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Aaron Gordon – OUT (hamstring)
Peyton Watson – OUT (hamstring)
Spencer Jones – OUT (concussion)