Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng re-injured his right hamstring in the third quarter of Friday night’s 100-99 overtime win against the Boston Celtics. Read more after the jump.
He did not return to the game and seems doubtful about playing Saturday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. Deng will be re-evaluated when the Bulls return to Chicago.
Deng went to the rim with 1:56 left in the third quarter and immediately grabbed at the hamstring, which he originally hurt on Wednesday night in the first quarter of an overtime win against the host Toronto Raptors.
“As soon as I pushed off it I just felt a pull,” Deng said.
Deng said he tried to come back into the game but experienced difficulty running.
“[There’s] swelling; it’s painful,” Deng said. “In the hallway, I tried to run and just try to go back in the game for my teammates, but I had a hard time running.”
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was noncommittal regarding Deng’s status.
“We’ll see,” Thibodeau said. “[Athletic trainer] Fred [Tedeschi]’s got to have him examined. [Deng] wanted to come back but he was not able to do it. We’ll see. We’ll see where he is.”
Deng isn’t sure what type of exams he will be put through, but he doesn’t sound confident about playing Saturday.
“I don’t know yet,” Deng said. “We’ll see [Saturday]. We’ll see how I feel in the morning.
“The percentages [of playing] are very low.”
Deng has become an important and vital asset to the Bulls roster especially through the absence of Derrick Rose. Deng is currently averaging 17.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg.
