Zach LaVine will play Thursday vs. Knicks [UPDATE]

Update, Dec. 1 — LaVine will play in Thursday night’s game vs. the New York Knicks. He was listed as questionable for Monday’s win vs. the Hornets and was able to start. The Bulls got some bad news on Wednesday with Coby White testing positive for Covid-19. He will miss at least 10 days and could be out up to two weeks.

Chicago Bulls G Zach LaVine is questionable to play in Monday’s game vs. the Charlotte Hornets due to an illness. The Bulls have lost three of their past four games, the most recent a tough 3-point loss to the Miami Heat over the weekend. As of now, we don’t know if the illness is Covid related. LaVine missed a good chunk of last season after testing positive for Covid-19.

Fantasy basketball impact

In DFS, this could be the key to the slate later on. DeMar DeRozan ($8,700) likely becomes the chalk play in both cash and tournaments. His price is pretty decent, it’s a great matchup vs. the Hornets and his ceiling would increase without LaVine. Nikola Vucevic ($8,300) is also a strong play but he was going to be anyway with or without LaVine. If we’re looking for a cheaper player to target who would benefit from LaVine sitting it’s Coby White ($3,700).

The former UNC guard has been back from injury and has been coming off the bench for the Bulls. White is the most likely candidate to start in place of LaVine along with Alex Caruso. White is more appealing based on price and expected minutes/usage. A lot of the outside shots that would go LaVine’s way will go to White, who can get hot from outside.

Betting impact

The Bulls remain 4.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook against the Hornets tonight at home. Even without LaVine, the Bulls are more than capable of covering this spread. No LaVine may hurt the point total more. At 223, the over/under is very high. No LaVine would give us a good beat on the under. The Bulls still have the defenders on the perimeter to shut down LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.