Jimmy Butler scrimmaged hard on Thursday, woke up Friday with pain returning to his right heel contusion and didn’t participate much in the morning shootaround.
He then gingerly took pregame shots favoring the heel. And then he returned to face the Suns after missing three games.
"I really want to play," Butler said.
The Bulls played without Paul Zipser, who has left ankle tendinitis, offering another opportunity for Denzel Valentine. Isaiah Canaan sprained his left big toe against the Warriors but suited up to be activated.
Suns center Alex Len didn’t attend because the league suspended him one game for leaving the bench area during an altercation in the team’s last game.
Deuces wild: All Bobby Portis wanted for his 22nd birthday is some playing time. The second-year big man, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, hadn’t played by coach’s decision 18 times entering the Suns’ game.
Coach Fred Hoiberg, who lauded Portis’ work ethic, said it’s hard to play five big men.
"Cris (Felicio) with that second unit and spread lineup gives us the forceful rim roller," Hoiberg said. "Several times Bobby has been really close to getting back in the rotation. … He’ll get an opportunity. Everybody in the organization thinks he has a bright future."
Star gazing: Dwyane Wade’s streak of 12 All-Star games will end this season. For the first time since his rookie season, he will have the weekend off.
"It’ll be great. I’m going to try to get a tan and enjoy myself, get my mind away from basketball for a little while but still work out and stay ready and come back ready to go," Wade said. "I do appreciate the NBA last couple of years going to this week break after the last game. Us as players, we definitely appreciate it."
Memory lane: Hoiberg played for the Bulls during Tyson Chandler’s rookie year, 16 seasons ago.
"Tyson was a great teammate," Hoiberg said of Chandler, who’s in his second season with the Suns. "It’s kind of funny. We took our kids to the Rainforest Cafe in downtown Chicago when I was playing. And in walked Tyson with a date. Here’s an 18-year-old kid going to the Rainforest Cafe with all the great restaurants in Chicago. That just showed me right there how you have a guy coming right out of high school and that’s his choice for a restaurant and we had our kids in there.
"Tyson showed great promise as a rookie. It was great to see him win that championship in Dallas. He’s a guy I’ll always pull for because he worked his tail off."
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