Zach LaVine will fight through knee injury for rest of the season; could play in All-Star Game
Watch the 71st NBA All-Star Game live on Sky Sports as Team LeBron takes on Team Durant on Sunday night at 11pm on Sky Sports Arena, and joined on Main Event from 11.30pm
Sunday 20 February 2022 14:42, UK
Zach LaVine is refusing to receive treatment to a left knee injury which is causing him recurrent discomfort and will instead fight through pain for the rest of the season.
At 38-21, LaVine's Chicago Bulls are in a very good position to contend for the Eastern Conference title, and having never been in a position to truly contend, the 26-year-old is happy to delay surgery, and thinks his knee is good enough to get him through the rest of the season.
The Bulls All-Star is happy to compete in Sunday night's game even though he missed the last three games before the All-Star break to have a cortisone shot and fluid drained.
"It will get me through the end of the season, and in the offseason, I'll be able to take care of it and try to get myself 100 percent," LaVine said. "The season is important enough for me personally. I'll be able to go out there and play and do what I have to do still."
The Bulls have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference all season, with LaVine and DeMar DeRozan being voted All-Stars. But LaVine has played in just three of the last eight games and said he needed the last few off to prepare for the stretch run.
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"I feel like I had to make sure everything was good going into the second half, and me doing everything I could do to get it as close to 100 percent as I can, so it's very manageable," LaVine said. "I'm here now. I'm healthy. I feel great. I feel a lot better than I did before, and I'm ready to get going."
That started Saturday night with the 3-point contest, where he crashed out earlier, having previously been a winner of the slam dunk contest. He didn't want to miss the weekend, even if there was some criticism he should use it for additional rest.
"It's the All-Star Game," LaVine said. "It means a lot to a lot of us. We put in a lot of hard work and dedication. If I'm healthy to play, I'll play. It means a lot to me."
