PORTLAND, Ore. — The Chicago Bulls suffered another setback as forward Patrick Williams missed Sunday’s 104-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and will wear a walking boot until he returns to Chicago to prevent further injury to his left foot.
Williams had an assessment in Los Angeles last week, but a full evaluation of his future availability and recovery timeline will not happen until the Bulls return to Chicago later this week.
This is not a new issue for Williams, who has been playing through pain in his left foot for weeks. However, the pain reached a peak during Thursday’s game against the Lakers, leading to the evaluation in California.
“The benefit of the walking boot, whether I needed it or not, kind of outweighed the look of it,” Williams said. “Naturally, I said, ‘Hell, no.’ I know what it looks like to wear a boot. You never want to have to wear one of those. But they spoke to me about the benefit of wearing it and kind of deloading it for a couple days.”
Williams previously missed three games this season with a right ankle injury. He was positive that the injury would not keep him out for long, but coach Billy Donovan cautioned that the prognosis will remain unclear until Williams is fully evaluated.
The Bulls were already dealing with player availability issues due to the extended absences of forward Torrey Craig and guard Zach LaVine. Williams was back in the starting lineup due to those injuries and is averaging 10 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
Missing his fourth game of the season was disappointing for Williams, who played all 82 games last season, as well as both games in the play-in tournament.
“It’s definitely something you don’t take for granted,” Williams said. “It’s a lot of luck that has to be involved in it to do that. A lot of routine work and maintenance work and luck too. Good luck, bad luck, whatever the case may be. I’m here now. I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure I feel as close to 100% as possible.”
Here are four other takeaways from the game.
1. Julian Phillips stepped up because of the injury.
The stage was set for Phillips to make an impact — and the rookie delivered in one of his most productive games as a Bull.
Before the game, Donovan prepared Phillips to take over some of Williams’ playing time. While Ayo Dosunmu moved into the starting lineup, Phillips played 24 minutes off the bench.
Phillips seized the opportunity with the boldness that has boosted his confidence this season. He made a significant block on Malcolm Brogdon in the first quarter, swatting the ball with both hands.
Phillips ended with 11 points, two rebounds, an assist, and a block.
2. A strong start — and finish — from Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu set the tone from the start, grabbing the ball and sprinting full-court to score a dunk. He continued that momentum for the rest of the first quarter, scoring eight points to lead the Bulls.
Dosunmu didn’t score again until 20.5 seconds were left in the game. Then he made a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 102-96. He ended with 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and three assists.
3. The Blazers were very successful at the free-throw line.
The Bulls outperformed the Blazers in the paint (52-40), on the fast break (15-4), and even from 3-point range (24-18) despite shooting 25% behind the arc. However, they couldn’t outdo the Blazers from the free-throw line.
The Blazers made 26 of 29 free throws while the Bulls made 12 of 17. DeMar DeRozan did not receive a free throw due to a personal foul until the last 90 seconds, although he did attempt one free throw for a technical foul earlier in the fourth quarter.
4. A unsuccessful road trip.
The Bulls finished the three-game trip with one win after losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. With a 22-25 record, they are still ninth in the Eastern Conference, meaning they are in position for the play-in tournament.
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