BOSTON — Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey appears to have avoided a serious injury after exiting Monday’s win over the Toronto Raptors with an ankle sprain.
In the third quarter of the 122-121 victory, Giddey launched himself at Raptors wing Gradey Dick in an attempt to block a 3-pointer and landed awkwardly on his right foot. Giddey was able to stand but headed straight to the locker room with help from the medical staff and was immediately ruled out of the rest of the game.
Giddey did not participate in practice Wednesday at TD Garden, but coach Billy Donovan said Giddey was experiencing less discomfort, leading the medical staff to be hopeful he can make a quicker comeback.
“He’s probably doubtful right now,” Donovan said of Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics. “I think he’ll probably be listed that way, but it’s a lot better than we originally thought.
“To be honest with you, the way he went down — and on the ankle that he had some issues with this summer — it looked worse. But he’s going to have to treat it and just see how he progresses and how long it takes.”
The Bulls didn’t provide a timeline for Giddey’s return.
Giddey injured the same ankle while representing Australia at the Paris Olympics this summer. He ruptured the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) in a quarterfinal loss to Serbia, an injury that sidelined him for a significant portion of his first training camp in Chicago.
Giddey was slightly limited in the preseason but did not show any lingering issues from the injury before Monday.
While the Bulls await Giddey’s return, Donovan will face a significant challenge to balance the rotation at point guard. Lonzo Ball remains confined to a 20-minute restriction, although the Bulls have exceeded that on occasion. For instance, Ball played three minutes over his restriction in Toronto with the understanding he would have extra recovery time with two days until the next game.
Zach LaVine practiced fully on Wednesday after missing Monday’s game with back spasms, which gives the Bulls hope he will be available against the Celtics. LaVine asked a few teammates to hang back after practice for additional one-on-one drills but said he was limiting his optimism until he can feel how his body responds Thursday morning.
Patrick Williams also is playing under a minutes restriction, which limits another available wing. And Donovan wants to avoid overloading Ayo Dosunmu, who has often played 30 or more minutes when the Bulls are limited to one true point guard.
“We have to manage it the best we can,” Donovan said. “It’s kind of a math problem.”