McDermott knee injury 'nothing serious'
The Bulls had gone too long without a new injury - almost a week.
So to celebrate their return to the United Center after the seven-game circus road trip, the Bulls scratched Doug McDermott because of a knee injury.
No one seems very concerned about it. Just chalk him up as day-to-day.
"It flared up yesterday," coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. "They just want it to calm down right now. But it's day-to-day. He doesn't really know when he did it."
McDermott called the injury very minor and suggested he might be ready to play Wednesday at Charlotte.
"It's really nothing serious at all," McDermott said.
With this injury, the Bulls are down to three players who have appeared in every game this season - Mike Dunleavy, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic. Taj Gibson missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle.
McDermott didn't make much of an impact during the circus trip. Take away the 6 points he scored in a blowout loss at Portland and he logged just 2 free throws.
Dirk defies age:
Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki is getting more rest, but hardly slowing down. Even while averaging 28.6 minutes - lowest since his rookie season - Nowitzki is averaging 19.4 points at age 36.
When asked about the 7-foot forward before Tuesday's game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle brought up former Boston teammate and coaching cohort Larry Bird.
"He's totally committed. His work ethic is as good as I've ever seen," Carlisle said of Nowitzki. "I've been around Bird and some of these other guys who are really the best of the best. He's just very unique. For a 7-1 guy, there's never been a guy who can shoot the ball from virtually anywhere. He's the best shooter I've ever seen for a guy that size and I don't know if I've seen a better shooter period."
Nowitzki had a rare off-night against the Bulls on Tuesday, going 2 for 12 from the field until heating up in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Bull horns:
The Bulls used the same starting lineup for the third straight game - a season-high. It was the projected regular lineup of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. … Jimmy Butler's streak of three straight games with 10 made free throws came to an end. He went 5 for 9 from the line Tuesday after knocking down 39 of 45 in the previous three contests.