The on and off court issues continue for the Chicago Bulls and now, they will miss for an indefinite amount of time All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who strained his left knee during Friday's 115–110 defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
Butler was driving to the rim with over a minute left in the second quarter and was fouled before falling hard on the floor.
Despite getting hurt and staying down for a few moments, Butler remained on the court to shoot his free-throws before exiting the game and heading to the locker room to be evaluated, ESPN reported.
The report added that the 26-year-old came back around 15 minutes later with his left knee iced.
Butler finished the game with 19 points, two rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 18 minutes played.
A report on the Bulls' website stated that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the left knee strain.
ESPN also reported that Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said Butler would not play today versus the Charlotte Hornets, which is the last game of a three-game Eastern Conference road trip.
However, Hoiberg did not rule out the former Marquette standout in the upcoming 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game this Feb. 14.
Butler was selected to be a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, his second All-Star selection since entering the NBA in 2011.
In 48 games played and started this season, Butler is averaging career-bests in scoring (22.4 points) and assists (4.3 assists), together with 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 37.9 minutes played per contest.
After having a great start to the season, Chicago is now facing inconsistencies and is currently on a two-game losing streak.
The Bulls are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 27–23 record, nine games behind the leading Cleveland Cavaliers who are at 36–14.
Following the last road game of the trip versus the Hornets, the Bulls will head back home to the United Center to host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
