CHICAGO (AP) - Bulls forward Luol Deng was activated before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat on Monday night but was not in the starting lineup after initially being ruled out because of an illness.
Veteran guard Kirk Hinrich was officially ruled out because of a bruised left calf, as was former MVP Derrick Rose, who’s been sidelined all season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said at the morning shootaround that Deng and Hinrich probably would not play Monday.
Deng was expected to sit out his sixth game in a row as he recovers from a spinal tap and an illness that left him hospitalized and caused him to lose 15 pounds. He tried to work out Saturday and wound up vomiting. He attempted to practice Sunday and became ill during warmups, forcing him to stop.
As for Hinrich, Thibodeau said at the shootaround that he is “doing a little more” as he tries to come back from a bruised left calf. But the veteran guard is missing his seventh straight game.
The defending champion Heat lead the series 2-1.
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