PHOENIX — Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler admitted there still is pain in his right heel after scoring 20 points in a 115-97 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Butler, who had missed the past three games because of the heel injury, was noncommittal when asked about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“That’s a good question,” Butler said. “That’s a really good question.”
Butler initially injured the heel in a Feb. 1 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After Friday’s game, Butler wore an ice pack and expressed frustration with the injury.
“I want to play basketball,” Butler said. “Not going to say I’m out there completely healthy. I’m not. But I want to compete, man. I want to go out there, I want to win, I want to lose, with my team, with my guys. I’m just hoping that this thing goes away so I can get back to not favoring it. And it’s crazy because the way the game goes, sometimes you gotta use that foot. You try and avoid it, but you can’t back away from it.”
Butler suffered a new injury in the fourth quarter when Suns guard Eric Bledsoe fell into his right knee after being fouled. Butler didn’t seem concerned about that injury but knows he is not close to full health at the moment.
“Nothing major,” he said of the knee tweak. “I guess you just add to the things wrong with the body.”
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Butler, who is scheduled to start for the Eastern Conference next Sunday in the All-Star Game in New Orleans, was asked about the possibility of sitting for a week to get his body in better health.
“I want to win,” Butler said. “I really do. I don’t want to sit down and not play. At times you gotta think about the body and what’s going on. Like I said, if I can suit up I feel like I have to do that.”
Check out the team site for more game coverage
Check out the team site for more game coverage
Bulls guard Dwyane Wade made his return to the floor Friday after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. Wade scored 18 points, but he fell hard on his wrists in the second half and was wearing ice packs on both after the game.
“I fell on both of them so we’ll see,” Wade said. “We’ll see how it feels [Saturday]. It’s a little sore right now.”
Wade said he was not expecting to have an X-ray on Saturday.
“Nah, I kind of can do my own X-rays nowadays,” he said. “I kind of know what’s wrong. I can give my own diagnosis. I don’t need that. I’ll wake up tomorrow and see if it’s badly bruised or if it’s sprained or whatever. I know, so we’ll see.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg summed up his team’s loss succinctly after the game.
“They out-competed us in every category tonight,” Hoiberg said. “Every category. Rebounding, loose balls, [outscored us in] transition 19-6, that tells you all you need to know.”
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