(670 The Score) Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen exited early in the third quarter of a 115-107 win against the Wizards on Tuesday evening after reaggravating a left calf injury.
Markkanen reaggravated the injury after taking contact late in the second quarter. At halftime, Markkanen expressed a desire to try to play through the injury, coach Billy Donovan said, but he soon signaled to the bench that he didn’t feel right and exited for good with 8:42 left in the third quarter. Markkanen initially suffered the injury in the Bulls’ loss to the Warriors on Sunday and was a game-time decision to play Tuesday, when he had nine points and four rebounds in 19-plus minutes.
“I felt good in warmups,” Markkanen said. “Of course, it was a little bit sore still, but I knew I was able to go. It felt good in the first half. But of course you’re going to get hit on it again right on the same spot. That happened. And then the second half, I wanted to give it a try. But I felt like it was best for the team because I couldn’t give anything for the team in the first three minutes, so I subbed myself out three minutes in just because I couldn’t run full speed. I couldn’t move the way I wanted. So I subbed myself out.”
Markkanen is unsure if he’ll be healthy enough to play Thursday, when the Bulls once again face the Wizards on the road. He felt better Tuesday than he did when he suffered the injury Sunday, when he couldn’t put pressure on his calf, he said.
Markkanen is off to a strong start this season, averaging 20.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Bulls’ first three games, which came after he and the Bulls didn’t come close to finding common ground on a contract extension that Markkanen desperately wanted before the season. Markkanen missed 76 games across his first three NBA seasons, so staying healthy and/or playing through minor ailments is a focus for him.
“It doesn’t matter how you play if you’re on the bench,” Markkanen said. “You’ve got to be available to play. So I wanted to be there for my teammates. But you can’t control freak accidents like that. Like last year, I had the ankle one where someone falls on my foot. You can’t control that kind of stuff. You’ve got to be smart with it. But of course I want to be available and be there for my teammates. It’s frustrating that it happened again. But I’m sure it’s going to get better.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.