(670 The Score) Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen is expected to miss two to four weeks after suffering a right shoulder sprain, the team announced Monday.
Markkanen suffered the injury in Chicago's loss at Orlando on Friday when he collided with a defender on a drive to the hoop in the first quarter. Markkanen quickly expressed discomfort, and while he played his usual minutes for the rest of the first half, he exited the game for good early in the third quarter.
If the timetable of two to four weeks holds, Markkanen will miss between seven and 13 games for the Bulls. He already was sidelined for Chicago's win at Orlando on Saturday in the second of the back-to-back series.
Markkanen, 23, is averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 51.4% in 14 games. He missed a stretch of games earlier in the season after landing in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Markkanen has dealt with injuries in each of his four NBA seasons. His most significant injury was when he suffered a serious elbow sprain in training camp to open the 2018-'19 season. He ended up missing 30 games that season. Markkanen missed 15 games in 2019-'20, mostly because of a pelvis injury.
