Mirotic could miss Game 3
Rookie Nikola Mirotic was one of two Bulls to play in all 82 regular-season games, along with Aaron Brooks.
So given the Bulls' rotten luck with injuries, it seems fitting that Mirotic suffered the team's first significant setback of the playoffs.
After Tuesday's film session and light practice at the Advocate Center, Mirotic could be seen with an electronic stimulation wrap around his left knee. He chatted with coach Tom Thibodeau and trainer Jeff Tanaka before walking gingerly to the training room.
Mirotic did not speak to reporters. Thibodeau said if Game 3 was Tuesday night, Mirotic would not play. Game 3 is not until Thursday at the Bradley Center, though, so there's time to heal.
But it looks like there's a good chance Mirotic won't be available.
"He's sore today. That's to be expected," Thibodeau said. "We'll know better after a few days of treatment. I don't want to put a timetable on it because we don't know. It's a strain, so we don't know how it will respond. Just get treatment. He'll be in here two, three times a day and we'll see how he feels."
Mirotic was injured with less than three minutes left in the Bulls' 91-82 victory in Game 2. Chasing a long rebound, Mirotic was struck by Milwaukee's O.J. Mayo, lost control of the ball, then to went to the floor and fought with center Zaza Pachulia for possession.
It wasn't clear if Mirotic was injured on the initial hit by Mayo or the ensuing scrum with Pachulia. At one point, Mirotic was struck in the face by Pachulia's head, but Thibodeau said Mirotic did not suffer a concussion.
About a minute earlier, Pachulia was given a technical foul for hitting Mirotic in the back of the head with a forearm as the two battled for rebounding position. Pachulia was given a second technical foul during the fight for the loose ball and was ejected with 2:48 remaining.
There were a couple of scuffles in Monday's Game 2 and 7 technical fouls handed out. Mirotic, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah got technicals for the Bulls.
"That's sort of the nature of the playoffs," Thibodeau said. "When you have the same teams going at it, usually that's the way it goes."
Mirotic, an important scorer off the bench all season, has struggled in his first NBA playoff appearance. Through two games, the 6-foot-10 forward has hit 5 of 14 shots for a combined 13 points.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose said he felt good Tuesday after increasing his workload to 38 minutes in Game 2.
"I'm real confident in my body and how hard I worked to get back here, and I feel great today," Rose said. "As far as like playing those type of minutes every game, we'll have to see."
Rose has played in seven games since missing 20 with arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The most minutes he played in his latest comeback before Monday was 28.
He didn't score in the first half of Game 2, but Rose's numbers in this series have been good. He's averaging 19 points and 8 assists while shooting 43 percent.
Jimmy Butler has been the Bulls' offensive star. He's averaging 28 points and shooting 54.5 percent in the playoffs.
"It's all about the team," Rose said. "I could care less about myself and the way I'm performing. As long as we get the win, as long as everybody is playing well and we get the victory, that's the only thing we care about.
"Started off kind of sluggish in the first half yesterday, but you've got to find ways to win in the playoffs. That's the great thing about it."
• Get the latest Bulls news on Twitter@McGrawDHBulls.