Getty Zach LaVine tries to dunk on Pascal Siakam.
Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine uncharacteristically took only 10 shots against the Toronto Raptors on February 3. It was certainly strange to see the two-time All-Star shoot the ball eight fewer times than he normally does.
However, there was a reason LaVine — whose Bulls lost to the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena — wasn’t his usual aggressive self.
LaVine Is Dealing with Back Injury
LaVine is dealing with back spasms. He probably shouldn’t have played against the Raptors, but the two-time Slam Dunk champion was “just trying to help us win.”
“Played the last two games with back spasms,” LaVine said after the Bulls-Raptors game, via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I’m just trying to help us win. It hurts. That’s what happens when you play a 42-minute game with back spasms. I’ll see how I feel in the morning. Any time on the court I can spend, if it’s not scoring-wise, I thought I could be able to try to help the team win.”
LaVine played 42 minutes versus the Raptors, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and seven assists while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Bulls lost in overtime by a final score of 127-120 to drop to 32-19 on the season. However, they are still in first place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who went off for 30 points and 18 rebounds in the loss, greatly appreciated the effort LaVine showed. The UCLA product is highly respected by his teammates because he never complains or makes excuses and always puts the team first.
Vucevic on LaVine: ‘Playing Through Back Spasms Is Not Easy’
Vucevic has dealt with back injuries before, so he knows what LaVine is going through. The former Orlando Magic star told reporters in Toronto that LaVine deserves a lot of credit for playing while having back spasms.
“Obviously, it tells us a lot about Zach,” Vucevic said. “Playing through back spasms is not easy. It limits you a lot. Just because you don’t have that freedom of movement, especially in the back. That’s a big part of your body, especially when you play basketball. I think it was bothering him a lot, especially on the offensive end trying to score and be aggressive. It speaks a lot about his commitment to winning and to this team. Obviously, even him maybe not being 100 percent helps us a lot. We appreciate him being out there.”
LaVine is questionable to play in the Bulls’ next game against the Indiana Pacers. Since it’s the second night of a back-to-back, don’t be surprised if Chicago rests its star shooting guard, who was named to his second All-Star team before the Raptors game.
“It means a lot any time you get honored in that way,” LaVine said. “Lotta hard work. It’s an honor to go be there with my teammates in the All-Star game with DeMar, and Ayo in the Rising Stars game. Hopefully we can get Billy a couple more wins going into the break and him and the staff can coach us out there. I think that will be special.”