Gasol exits with hammy strain, will undergo MRI
CHICAGO — Pau Gasol has a strained left hamstring and will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
The Chicago Bulls center is unsure if he will be able to play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Gasol, who played just 22 minutes and scored six points in the Bulls’ 99-96 win Friday night, said he initially injured the hamstring in Game 2 and had it tighten up again in the first half of Game 3.
“[The hamstring is] sore,” he said. “It tightened up already in Game 2. Today, it started off well, but a couple minutes into the game it started tightening up again. I just tried to play through it as much as I could, but in the second half, third quarter it got worse, so I couldn’t sprint. I definitely couldn’t sprint. We got to a point where I couldn’t really run well either. So just had to get out of the game, and we’ll evaluate it tomorrow.”
The Bulls training staff tried to stretch him out on the bench during the game but that didn’t seem to help. Gasol received additional treatment after the game and will continue to ice the hamstring heading into Saturday.
“You never know,” he said of his status. “I’ll find out more about it [Saturday] when we do a couple tests and see the extension of the injury … we’re going to keep icing it tonight. Hamstrings are tricky. I’ve had a couple tears in the past, and it’s no joke.”
The Bulls lead the series, 2-1.
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