The Chicago Bulls had to finish out their game against the Celtics in Boston on Monday night without a key contributor. All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan left the game during the third quarter after tweaking his leg, and he was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the contest due to a right quadricep strain.
The injury occurred while DeRozan was trying to make a move on Boston big man Al Horford near the foul line. He fell to the floor after appearing to make contact with Horford's foot. DeRozan stayed in the game for a few more possessions, but he eventually exited and went back to Chicago's locker room. You can see the play below:
DeMar DeRozan went to the locker room and will not return after this play. He suffered a right quad strain #CHIvsBOS pic.twitter.com/ta002zi6zt
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 10, 2023
Bulls fans have to hope that the decision to keep DeRozan out for the rest of the game against Boston was just a precautionary one because the team can't afford to have him miss any significant amount of time at this point in the season. He leads the Bulls in both points (26.4) and assists (5.0) per game on the season. He's also been remarkably reliable for Chicago so far, as he's started in all 40 of the team's games.
Chicago's next game is scheduled for Wednesday night against the Wizards in Washington. DeRozan's status will now certainly be something to keep an eye on heading into that contest.