Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls went down with a left knee injury three minutes into Friday’sdefeat 138-96 against the mighty Golden State Warriors and did not return. With 8:28 remaining in the beginning half with the Warriors poised to inbound the ball, LaVine purposely fouled Stephen Curry and proceeded directly to the Bulls’ locker room.
Zach LaVine Has Hurt Himself Before
Zach LaVine tore his ACL in the same knee while playing for the Timberwolves in February 2017, but the team is confident that he has avoided major harm.
According to a source, Zach LaVine has been quietly playing with some slight swelling in that knee. When he felt uneasy in the initial quarter, that drove him over the brink.
In the first quarter, LaVine committed a foul intentionally and went directly to the locker room. Along with assistant sports trainer Arnold Lee, he walked to the locker room.
Donovan did not want to comment on the seriousness of the injury until obtaining the MRI findings, so there is some confidence that it is not significant.
Hopefully, Zach LaVine’s injury won’t keep him out for long, since he’s been a key part of the Bulls’ rise this season. They were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference entering Friday’s game, with a 27-12 record, after missing the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons. LaVine has averaged 25 points and 4 assists this season on extraordinarily efficient 49/41/87 shooting splits after being nominated to his first All-Star squad last season.
We’ll have to wait for the findings of Saturday’s MRI.
