Jimmy Butler's knee improving, could return Thursday vs. Spurs

The knee scare Jimmy Butler experienced ahead of Monday's game appears to have been just that: a scare.

The Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman was forced to sit out against the Milwaukee Bucks after his left knee swelled up, just two days after he made his return from an 11-game absence due to a sprain in the same knee.

The Bulls didn't place a timeline on his return, but doctors found no structural damage when they evaluated him Monday, and the swelling was down on Tuesday.

"Jimmy feels quite a bit better this morning," Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "We didn't do much at practice, we had a film session and then we walked through some different situations, but he's feeling a lot better this morning."

No MRI has been scheduled for Butler, who Hoiberg said was also dealing with back stiffness in the lead-up to Monday's game. The Bulls are hopeful he'll be able to suit up for Thursday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, but his status is currently uncertain.

Butler played 34 minutes against the Houston Rockets on Saturday in his return from the initial injury. He seemed to show no ill effects - recording 24 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists with a game-high plus-28 rating.

The Bulls also lost rookie forward Bobby Portis to an eye injury during Monday's game, but Hoiberg doesn't expect it to be a significant issue.

"They don't think there's anything wrong with the cornea or any type of (injury) like that," he said. "He's just a little bit blurry today. But he should be fine moving forward."