Bulls' Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson Out Against Bucks
By Cody Westerlund--
MILWAUKEE (CBS) -- With a berth in the playoffs in grave danger, the Bulls will be without two starters for Sunday evening game at the Milwaukee Bucks.
Derrick Rose (left elbow) and Taj Gibson (rib contusion) won't play as they continue to deal with injuries. Rose went through pregame warmups but still can't extend his left arm well as he continues to deal with pain and soreness in it. It will be his second straight missed game and 14th of the season.
Gibson was ruled out about 90 minutes before game time, as coach Fred Hoiberg indicated the decision was an easy one to make medically, if not emotionally for Gibson himself. It will be Gibson's third straight missed game and fourth of the season.
"He wants to be out there, there's no doubt about it," Hoiberg said of Gibson. "But he's not right. His muscles are still spasming around the fracture. He's got a lot of pain and soreness in that area."
The Bulls (38-38) will start E'Twaun Moore, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Bobby Portis and Pau Gasol for the second straight night. Chicago sits two games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the East, and each team has six games left.
"It is tough," Hoiberg said of missing players with a playoff berth on the line. "I think our guys are going out there and competing."