DeMar DeRozan remains out Wednesday vs. Cavaliers

Chicago Bulls G/F DeMar DeRozan has been placed in health and safety protocols and will not play in Monday’s game vs. the Denver Nuggets. DeRozan may miss several games, per Shams Charania. It depend if DeRozan tests positive, in which he’d have to isolate for at least 10 days. If DeRozan can turn in multiple negative tests, he’ll be cleared to return to the court. The Bulls are also down G Coby White, who has been in protocols since last week.

DeMar DeRozan updates

Update, Dec. 7 — DeRozan will remain out of the lineup for Wednesday night’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. With DeRozan out on Monday, the Bulls were able to pick up their fourth straight win, 109-97 over the Denver Nuggets. Zach LaVine carried the scoring with 32 points, while Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic each had a double-double. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu had a big game with 11-8-6 in a team-high 42 minutes.

The Bulls are going to be missing a bunch of regulars on Monday night and it could run for at least 10-14 days. DeRozan may have a shot to return if he turns in the negative tests. G Alex Caruso is injured and doubtful Monday due to his hamstring. Javonte Green is in protocols with White. So that’s four rotation players down against Denver.

This is a good tidbit from Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Expect Derrick Jones Jr. and Ayo Dosunmu to start in place of Caruso and DeRozan against the Nuggets. Airplane Mode is $3,600 on DraftKings while Ayo is $3,100. Both should play around 20-30 minutes, though for a 10-game slate this game doesn’t scream success. Zach LaVine ($9,500) feels like the most intriguing play. It could be the LaVine show with no DeRozan and this game is winnable. LaVine becomes a very strong tournament play.

The Bulls are -2 after the DeRozan news at home. The line had been 3.5, so it isn’t a dramatic move. The books think the Bulls can still pull this off and I’d tend to agree with them. LaVine can carry the team and the depth has stepped up when injuries pop up this season. Patrick Williams and Coby White have each missed extended time. Nikola Vucevic was out two weeks in protocols. Yet, the Bulls maintain status at the top of the East.

The over/under at 216.5 seems high. Both teams are strong defensively and are missing key players. The game could be tight and competitive, which won’t speed up the pace. This could be a grind and would need both LaVine and Nikola Jokic to go off. Even then, the under feels like the lean.

Maybe it’s my Bulls bias, but this creates an interesting situation for the NBA MVP race. DeRozan was 50/1 as a long-shot but has helped his cause through most of the season. The Bulls likely finish toward the top of the East and DeRozan was leading the team. LaVine has a shot to jump up the board a bit. LaVine will be back to big usage and will have to take more shots to compensate for the loss on offense. This will either go great and LaVine will score 30+ every night or he could struggle a bit. Either way, it will impact the odds. May not be a bad sprinkle on LaVine at 65/1.

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