PORTLAND, Ore. — The Chicago Bulls took another blow on the injury report this weekend as forward Patrick Williams sat out Sunday’s 104-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers — and will be in a walking boot until he returns to Chicago as a preventive measure for a left foot injury.
Williams underwent an evaluation in Los Angeles last week. It was only preliminary; his future availability and timeline for recovery will not be fully assessed until later this week when the Bulls return to Chicago.
This isn’t a new concern for Williams, who said he has been playing through discomfort and pain in his left foot for weeks. But the pain “hit a peak” during Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, resulting in the evaluation in California.
“It’s one of those situations where the benefit of (the walking boot), whether I needed it or not, kind of outweighed the look of it,” Williams said. “Naturally, I said, ‘Hell, no.’ I know what it looks like to wear a boot. You never want to have to wear one of those. But they spoke to me about the benefit of wearing it and kind of deloading it for a couple days.”
Williams previously missed three games this season with a right ankle injury. He was optimistic the injury would not result in an extended absence, but coach Billy Donovan warned the prognosis will remain unclear until Williams is fully evaluated.
The Bulls already were struggling with player availability during the long-term absences of forward Torrey Craig and guard Zach LaVine. Williams returned to the starting lineup because of those injuries and is averaging 10 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
Sitting out his fourth game of the season was frustrating for Williams, who played all 82 games last season, plus both games in the play-in tournament.
“It’s definitely something you don’t take for granted,” Williams said. “It’s a lot of luck that has to be involved in it to do that. A lot of routine work and maintenance work and luck too. Good luck, bad luck, whatever the case may be. I’m here now. I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure I feel as close to 100% as possible.”
Here are four other takeaways from the game.
1. Julian Phillips stepped up due to injury.
The stage was set for Phillips to make a splash — and the rookie delivered in one of his most productive games as a Bull.
Before the game, Donovan prepared Phillips to pick up some of Williams’ playing time. While Ayo Dosunmu moved into the starting lineup, Phillips logged 24 minutes off the bench.
Phillips attacked the opportunity with the aggressiveness that has increased his confidence throughout this season. He made a big block on Malcolm Brogdon in the first quarter, swatting the ball with both hands.
Phillips finished with 11 points, two rebounds, an assist and a block.
2. A big start — and finish — from Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu set the tone from the opening tip, snagging the ball and sprinting full-court to flush a dunk. He continued that momentum for the rest of the first quarter, scoring eight points to lead the Bulls.
Dosunmu didn’t score again until 20.5 seconds remained in the game, when he sank a 3-pointer to send the Bulls up 102-96. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
3. The Blazers dominated at the line.
The Bulls outscored the Blazers in the paint (52-40), on the fast break (15-4) and even from 3-point range (24-18) despite shooting 25% behind the arc. But the one place they couldn’t beat the Blazers was from the free-throw line.
The Blazers went 26-for-29 at the line while the Bulls went 12-for-17. DeMar DeRozan did not earn a free throw off a personal foul until the final 90 seconds, although he did take one free throw for a technical foul earlier in the fourth quarter.
4. A losing road trip.
The Bulls emerged from the three-game trip with one win after losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. At 22-25, they remain ninth in the Eastern Conference, which places them in play-in tournament position.