MILWAUKEE -- Chicago Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic is available to play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
The announcement by Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau came as a little bit of a surprise given that Thibodeau admitted on Friday that Mirotic hadn't been able to run since injuring his left quad and left knee during a pileup with Bucks big man Zaza Pachulia at the end of Game 2 on Monday night.
Thibodeau said Saturday that after his media availability on Friday, Mirotic was able to get some practice time and got some running in. It is unclear exactly how much Mirotic will be able to play, but Thibodeau sounds confident that Mirotic will be able to fall back into a rhythm.
"We'll go back to our old rotations," Thibodeau said. "There's enough for everybody ... [Mirotic] felt a lot better [Friday] too. If he wasn't good enough he wouldn't be playing."
The Bulls lead the Bucks 3-0 in the series.