Ayo Dosunmu suffers injury in Bulls’ loss to Hawks

ATLANTA – It was a split weekend of results for the Bulls but it wasn’t a double defeat when it came to injuries in their backcourt.

A tailbone contusion suffered in the team’s win over the Mavericks on Saturday kept Alex Caruso out of the lineup on Sunday against the Hawks. Then his replacement in the starting lineup, Ayo Dosunmu, had to leave that contest with an injury of his own.

The second-year guard was forced to leave the game with an abdominal contusion in the second quarter of the Bulls’ 123-122 loss in Atlanta.

Going up for a basket, Dosunmu collided with Hawks guard Trae Young and both fell to the ground. As the Bulls’ guard did so, Young’s knee inadvertently hit him in the stomach. Dosunmu was helped off the floor by athletic trainers and wouldn’t return for the rest of the evening.

Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters after the game that the guard wanted to return, but the decision was made by the medical staff to hold him out.

As of late Monday afternoon, it’s unknown if or how long the injury is going to keep Dosunmu out of the lineup. The Bulls are also waiting to see the extent of Caruso’s injury that he suffered on Saturday night.

The Bulls’ next game is against the Knicks on Wednesday evening at the United Center, the first of two games against New York at home this week.

Dosunmu has started 21 of the 25 games he’s played in his second season in the NBA, though recently he joined the second unit with Caruso ascending to the starting spot.

The guard is averaging 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 27.6 minutes per game.