Zach LaVine Expected to Return from Knee Injury for Bulls After All-Star Break

Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine missed the past two games with a knee injury, but the team received good news Wednesday.

Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters LaVine's visit with a specialist went "very well." Fluid was drained from his knee, which helped take down the swelling, and he is cleared for physical activity within 48 hours.

That means he could participate in Saturday's three-point contest and Sunday's All-Star Game, although Donovan said the Bulls doctors will hold a meeting about his minutes.

Chicago defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs without LaVine and can take over first place in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

The team doesn't play again until Feb. 24 after Wednesday's contest thanks to All-Star Weekend, so the guard will have plenty of time to rest and recover even if he does take the floor Sunday.

LaVine is a major reason the Bulls have surpassed expectations as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference this season. He made his second consecutive All-Star Game and is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from deep.

While there was some concern about how he would fit offensively alongside DeMar DeRozan after the Bulls added the latter this past offseason, the pair has been among the league's best one-two punches and gives Chicago a chance to defeat any team it faces on a nightly basis.

The Bulls will likely need both healthy and ready to play significant minutes in the playoffs if they are going to parlay their successful regular season into a deep run, but there are enough pieces to help them tread water in the immediate future until LaVine returns.

Javonte Green, Coby White and Troy Brown Jr. can all play additional minutes on the wing, and the team can run the offense through big man Nikola Vucevic for stretches as well.

Still, getting LaVine and the sidelined Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams back before the playoffs will be critical for Chicago to live up to its ceiling as a contender this season.