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Chicago Bulls Make Lonzo Ball Decision vs Detroit Pistons

Lonzo Ball has been ruled out against the Pistons.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) handles the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) handles the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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A Wednesday night rematch between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons won’t feature either side at full strength. For the Bulls, they went into the matchup preparing for the possibility of missing their standout guard, Lonzo Ball.

According to the Bulls’ injury report, Ball has been dealing with an illness. He was listed as doubtful ahead of the game. At this point, it’s clear Ball won’t be getting the nod to play.

Per the official NBA injury report, Ball has been ruled out once again.

Wednesday’s absence will mark the fourth in a row for Ball. The last time he played was during the Bulls’ February 4 matchup against the Miami Heat. At the time, Ball checked in for 28 minutes. He scored five points and came down with five rebounds while dishing out two assists.

The Bulls defeated the Heat when Ball played last. Since then, they haven’t been in the winner’s column. Chicago took on a 19-point loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves and a 21-point defeat against the Golden State Warriors.

On Tuesday, the Pistons dominated Chicago and left the game with a 40-point victory. Ball won’t be giving his team any help before the NBA’s All-Star break.

Lonzo Bal
Feb 2, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) dribbles in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The earliest Ball could return to the lineup is on February 20, when the Bulls pay a visit to the New York Knicks. Although the Bulls went into seller mode at the trade deadline, cutting ties with a key player in Zach LaVine, Chicago hopes to remain competitive in the Play-In picture.

The Bulls showed trust in Ball by not parting ways with him at the deadline. In fact, Chicago inked the 27-year-old to a contract extension to keep him around beyond the 2024-2025 NBA season.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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