Bulls guard Josh Giddey will be available for tonight’s play-in game against Miami, but both teams are missing key players for the elimination contest. In a pre-game meeting with reporters, Chicago coach Billy Donovan said Giddey, who has been dealing with pain in his right hand, won’t be on a minutes restriction, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Giddey sat out the final two games of the regular season, and sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link) that he’s been playing for roughly the last month with a muscle tear in the palm of his hand. Charania called it “a pain-tolerance injury” and said Giddey will need several weeks of rest after the season ends to fully recover.
Charania also states that Giddey’s value is “going up” as he prepares for restricted free agency this summer. He’s averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists over his last 19 games while shooting 46% from beyond the arc.
Donovan added that Lonzo Ball remains out, but he could be available by Sunday if the Bulls advance to a first-round series against Cleveland. Ball has been sidelined since February 28 with a sprained right wrist. Donovan also provided an update on point guard Tre Jones, who has been out since March 20 with a left foot sprain, saying he’s out of a walking boot but likely won’t be ready for the first round.
The Heat are also short-handed, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Nikola Jovic remains sidelined while recovering from a broken right hand that has kept him out of action since late February and Kevin Love is still reconditioning after being away from the team for personal reasons. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Jovic was able to participate in practice on Tuesday, according to Weiss (Twitter link).
Miami will welcome back rookie guard Pelle Larsson, who sprained his ankle last week while lifting weights, Chiang adds (Twitter link).
“He was right back at the scene of the crime doing the same routine,” Spoelstra said. “That’s been a big part of his process and a lot of the guys’ process. He finished the routine and he’s fine.”