Bulls star Zach LaVine and backup forward Troy Brown Jr. have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, giving Chicago nine players on the list.
The team confirmed Sunday that LaVine and Brown joined leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas, Coby White, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and recently signed Stanley Johnson.
That left the Bulls with nine available players. Teams need eight in order to play.
The Bulls are missing eight of their top 11 scorers when you include injured forward Patrick Williams.<br><br>All told, the Bulls are missing 87.8 points per game from their lineup.
—@DarnellMayberry
Chicago’s next game is against Detroit at home on Tuesday. LaVine and Brown both played in Saturday’s loss at Miami.
The resurgent Bulls were third in the Eastern Conference behind Brooklyn and Milwaukee at 17-10.
LaVine, a first-time all-star last season and gold medal winner with the U.S. Olympic team, was seventh in the NBA in scoring at 26 points per game. He is averaging 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Brown is averaging 4.3 points in 18 games.
Players in the health and safety protocols must be sidelined at least 10 days or record two negative tests in a 24-hour period before they can resume basketball activities.
Under league rules, the Bulls need to have eight eligible players vs. the Pistons on Tuesday. There have been no Covid-related postponements in the NBA this season, but the Bulls outbreak — with LaVine and Troy Brown the latest — continues and postponements could be an option.
—@wojespn
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