Rui Hachimura Injury Status For Lakers vs Bulls

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the Chicago Bulls for their fifth and final game of this current homestand. The Lakers will look to finish this homestand with a 4-1 record and inch closer to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

The Lakers will host the Bulls for the first and only time of the season. As for the season series, this will be the first matchup between the two. Los Angeles will look for their 44th win of the season and their 29th home win.

With that being the case, the Lakers could welcome back their starting forward, Rui Hachimura.

Hachimura's status was upgraded to questionable prior to the Bulls matchup. It is the first time the Lakers have upgraded his injury status since he was out since Feb. 28.

While he continues to recover from left patellar tendinopathy, Hachimura missed his 12th straight game in Thursday's 118-89 loss to the Bucks, but the veteran forward looks to be closing in on a return to action.

The 27-year-old resumed taking part in 3-on-3 on-court work earlier this week, and if he's able to increase his activity Friday, the Lakers could give him the green light to suit up Saturday.

If Hachimura plays against the Bulls, he'll likely operate with a minute restriction. He's started in all 50 of his appearances on the season, averaging 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 three-pointers, and 1.5 assists in 32.1 minutes per contest while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.

In the 10 games before his injury, Hachimura averaged 17.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting (including 39.0 percent from three on 5.9 3PA/G), 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists over 35.1 minutes per game.

Hachimura last played on Feb. 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since then, the Lakers have played 12 games, going 7-5 in that span.

With or without Hachimura, the Lakers are heavy home favorites with a -8.5 spread. The Lakers are 28-8 in home games. Los Angeles has a 3-5 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Bulls are 17-18 on the road. Chicago is third in the league, scoring 17.8 fast break points per game, led by Coby White, averaging 4.0.

Both the Lakers and Bulls are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

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