DeMar DeRozan left early on the Chicago Bulls’ 107-99 loss against the Boston Celtics this Monday due to a right quadriceps strain.
DeRozan sustained the injury in the third quarter as he tried to isolate and drive against Al Horford. The All-Star swingman suddenly dropped to the floor, with his right foot tripping against the left foot of the big man.
He was eventually called for a traveling violation. DeRozan tried to battle pain as he proceeded to play, but he was called afterwards to get back to the locker room.
He was eventually announced unavailable to play, finishing with 13 markers, three boards, and three dimes in 23 minutes of play.
In the postgame, DeRozan revealed that he’s been dealing with quad soreness for the last eight games. He considers this recent injury against the Celtics on a “day-to-day” basis, as he is set to take ample treatment on Tuesday ahead of the team’s Wednesday bout against the Washington Wizards.
“It’s been bothering me for eight games. I just never said nothing. I do a lot of things that nobody don’t know,” DeRozan said, via NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson. “You feel it.
“To me, when the season starts, physically we go through so much stuff that you just gotta deal with it. In my mind, knock on wood, as long as nothing is torn or broke, I try to assess myself and feel like I could play through almost anything. That’s all it is. It’s nothing too serious to be extra overly concerned about. It’s just one of those uncomfortable things that I don’t want to linger and keep worrying about.”
DeRozan hasn’t missed a game this season, averaging 26.1 points, 5.0 boards, and 4.9 assists as the lead man of Chicago but is still looking to end their lopsided progress.
With DeRozan taking a premature leave, Zach LaVine assumed a greater responsibility by dropping 27 points – making 15 of it in the fourth frame to help the Bulls cut the 16-point deficit of the Cs to two in the last two minutes.
As such, Boston went supreme down the road behind the clutchness of Al Horford’s three and Jayson Tatum’s and-one play to elevate the club to the league-best 29-12 card.
