Chicago Bulls Update Status of Matas Buzelis & Josh Giddey Before Suns Matchup

The Chicago Bulls will be without two of their top offensive threats on Thursday night.

As the team begins a five-game Western Conference road trip against the Phoenix Suns, both Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey will be stuck in street clothes. The team officially downgraded both to out after each entered the day as questionable with an ankle sprain. This will mark Buzelis' first missed game of his sophomore season and only the third missed game of his career. He recorded one DNP and sat out another game during his rookie campaign, otherwise appearing in 80 games.

Giddey was the first to tweak his ankle on Tuesday night in the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He exited near the end of the third quarter, only to return later in the fourth for a few minutes of action before being pulled again. As for Buzelis, he tweaked his ankle by stepping on a Kenrich Williams' foot and immediately left for the locker room. While he would eventually rejoin the team on the bench, he would not return to the game.

Both players downplayed the severity of the injury after the game. Of course, Chicago also designated both as "questionable" for today seemed to suggest that they evaded significant sprains. Nevertheless, with the Play-In Tournament no longer a priority and the offseason increasingly becoming a focus, there was no logical reason for either to rush back. Both are considered core pieces of this team's future, and resting them until they are each 100 percent should be the priority.

Indeed, the last thing anyone wants is for either to come back and re-aggravate things. Giddey has already seen that happen once this year, as he attempted to return from a hamstring strain, only to have things tighten up again. Meanwhile, Buzelis' durability has been very impressive throughout his short NBA career. The Bulls don't want to put that in jeopardy.

The question now is will both return to the floor for Sunday's meeting against the Kings? The fact they came into today 50/50 bodes well, as is the two full days off they have off. For what it's worth, Billy Donovan did say before the game that they are day-to-day and there is "optimism" this will be a short absence (h/t Will Gottlieb of CHGO).

The same message was shared about Patrick Williams, who came into Thursday as doubtful. The forward has been dealing with a quad strain since the team's February 24 meeting with the Charlotte Hornets and remains out. As for Jalen Smith, who has missed the last four games with a calf injury, it appears the Bulls could be without him for at least a few more contests.

As long as Williams and Smith are out, the Bulls will continue to lack some needed size in the frontcourt. With that said, tonight's matchup should at least prove easier for this undermanned unit than others. The Suns will still be the heavy favorite, but the team ruled out seven-footer Mark Williams for multiple weeks earlier today.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (knee)
Josh Giddey – OUT (ankle)
Matas Buzelis – OUT (ankle)
Jalen Smith – OUT (calf)
Patrick Williams – OUT (quad)
Zach Collins – OUT FOR SEASON
Noa Essengue – OUT FOR SEASON

Phoenix Suns Injury Report

Mark Williams – OUT (foot)
Dillon Brooks – OUT (hand)
Jordan Goodwin – OUT (calf)

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