NBC on Yahoo SportsBulls: Jimmy Butler exits, set for MRI on left elbow
Jimmy Butler became the latest victim of the Bulls' ongoing bout with injuries.
Butler suffered a left elbow sprain midway through the third quarter of the Bulls' Sunday contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. The play occurred midway through the third quarter when Butler ran into a screening DeAndre Jordan. Butler immediately grabbed his left elbow and was taken out of the game. He was looked at on the bench before exiting for the locker room. The Bulls announced early in the fourth quarter that Butler would not return.
"I think it's a hyperextension of the elbow," Tom Thibodeau said. "He will have an MRI and we will find out more tomorrow."
The Bulls were already playing shorthanded with Derrick Rose (knee) and Taj Gibson (ankle) out and Pau Gasol (illness) playing at less than 100 percent. With so many important bodies out of the lineup the Bulls weren't able to keep up with Chris Paul and the Clippers, suffering a 96-86 defeat that pushed them out of second place in the Eastern Conference.
Butler scored 10 points and grabbed two rebounds in 21 minutes. Butler has missed five games this season, with the Bulls going 4-1 in those games. The Bulls practice at noon on Monday before a Tuesday night tilt against the Washington Wizards.
