On Monday, the Chicago Bulls received unfortunate news with shooting guard DeMar DeRozan testing positive for COVID-19. The former Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs star has entered the league's health and safety protocols and will miss several games as a result.
DeRozan to miss multiple games because of COVID-19
DeRozan's positive diagnosis could not have come at a worse time for the Bulls, who are locked in a tight battle with the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bulls are currently the second seed in the conference with a 17-8 record. DeRozan was just named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He led the Bulls to a perfect 3-0 record the past week, averaging 30.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He shot an incredible 58.7 percent from the field during that stretch. DeRozan has been on fire to start the season, averaging 26.4 points per game which is the fourth-highest in the NBA.
DeRozan's positive COVID-19 test was a huge surprise given that he was a full participant in the Bulls' shootaround on Monday morning. The Bulls players are being tested multiple times for COVID-19 per day in light of Coby White and Javonte Green returning positive samples for the deadly coronavirus. White tested positive on Wednesday, while Green returned a positive test on Friday.
DeRozan is the latest Chicago player to test positive for COVID-19, sparking concerns that there might be an outbreak of the virus within the team. In November, Nikola Vucevic also tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the Bulls big man to miss seven games.
Head coach Billy Donovan is still unsure whether DeRozan's test is positive or a false positive. The best-case scenario for the Bulls is that DeRozan has a false positive test, just like the one LeBron James got the week before. James was able to return quickly to the Lakers lineup after his tests all turned back negative for COVID-19 following his positive diagnosis.
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DeRozan-less Bulls beat Nuggets to extend winning streak
The Bulls may be missing three of their key players, but they still pulled off a 109-97 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Zach LaVine led the undermanned Bulls, who extended their winning streak to four games. He scored 32 points against Denver and recorded a season-high eight assists.
Lonzo Ball and Vucevic also made major contributions in the win against the Nuggets, each scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Ball made key plays on the defensive end, recording five blocks. Derrick Jones Jr. and Ayo Dosunmu added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Bulls, who had all of their five starters score in double figures.
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