Durant suffers knee injury, status questionable for Thursday vs. Bulls
Kevin Durant's first Chicago appearance as a member of the Golden State Warriors appears to be in jeopardy.
Durant left Tuesday's game in Washington with a left-knee injury. The Warriors said Durant has a hyperextended left knee, and he was expected to have an MRI exam Tuesday night.
About a minute into the Warriors-Wizards game, Durant was on defense and not involved in the play. But a shot went up and Warriors center Zaza Pachulia, battling for the rebound with Washington's Marcin Gortat, fell backward into Durant's knee. Gortat was called for a loose-ball foul on the play.
Durant immediately reacted as if he were in pain. He limped off the floor under his own power and did not return. After jumping from Oklahoma City as a free agent, Durant has missed only one game for Golden State this season. He's averaging a team-best 25.8 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Rotation questions continue:
With Cameron Payne joining the Bulls and Rajon Rondo still leading the second unit, one question for the Bulls is if Jerian Grant will stay in the rotation. Grant started Tuesday's game at point guard and opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. In the first half, Grant played the opening 6½ minutes and did not return to the floor.
"We're still working through different combinations with the trade," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "But I think Jerian's done a solid job for us this year."
Another question is when and how will Hoiberg get the two other former Thunder players, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow, some opportunities.
"We played 11 in the first half (at Cleveland) the other night, and it's tough to play that many guys," Hoiberg said. "But at the same time, you want to get a look at the new guys.
"Lauvergne is somebody that I've always been a fan of. I do think it's a matter of time before he does get his opportunity."
Bulls survive controversy:
Heading into Tuesday's action, the Bulls were 7-5 since controversy struck on Jan. 25. After a loss to Atlanta, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler criticized teammates' commitment to winning, then Rajon Rondo responded via Instagram. A team meeting two days later tried to clear the air.
At Tuesday's shootaround, Bulls rookie Denzel Valentine said he thought the incident turned out to be helpful.
"It needed to happen. Every team goes through adversity," Valentine said. "Everybody knew about our adversity. Even when I was back at Michigan State and we were successful, the same stuff happened.
"Guys needed to voice their opinions, get their feelings out. I think since then everybody's bought in and we've been progressing. We might have lost a game here or there, but I think we've been progressing for the most part."