The Chicago Bulls officially ruled out Nikola Vucevic for Monday night’s game in Philadelphia.
According to the latest injury report, the starting big man will remain in street clothes due to calf tightness. The recently acquired Zach Collins will start in his place and appear in only his fourth game since landing in Chicago as part of the Zach LaVine trade.
Collins is fresh off playing a Bulls career-high 18 minutes of action against the Suns, where he scored 8 points with 10 rebounds. The Bulls be extremely undersized tonight with Jalen Smith also out due to a concussion. Who will Billy Donovan have backing him up?
Zach Collins into the lineup in Philly. Stream ➡️ t.co/dLgvAjeEdl@FirstAlert | #SeeRed? pic.twitter.com/2ncmmSgEBL
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 24, 2025Bulls Sit Nikola Vucevic Against 76ers
All things considered, it’s hard not to think this move from Chicago represents a little gamesmanship. The 76ers currently sit 1.5 games behind the Bulls for the 10 seed and Play-In Tournament spot. As a franchise that recently parted ways with their best player and has lost six straight, they have every incentive to jockey for better lottery odds.
In other words, doing everything they can to swap places with Philly feels like it’s in their best interest. The 76ers already ruled out Joel Embiid earlier in the day, so the Bulls have now countered and better positioned themselves for a loss by sitting their own starting center. Is it possible that Vucevic is legitimately banged up? Sure. But he entered the day completely absent from the injury report before popping up in the afternoon with a “probable” designation. Suspicious, huh?
To be honest, this isn’t a move I thought the Bulls would ever do, so I give them props! I know it’s a bit of an icky feeling, but it’s the kind of ugly game you have to play sometimes in the NBA. And, heck, Vucevic deserves a night off! He has played 55 of 56 games this season and has remained a true professional amid another tumultuous season.
Enjoy the night off watching Matas Buzelis destroy the 76ers, big fella!
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