On Saturday, starting point guard Marcus Smart was hurt on a tough screen from Spurs forward Zach Collins, and was pulled from the game with a left knee contusion. As expected, Smart missed Monday night’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, and Joe Mazzulla was forced to make changes to the starting five.
Derrick White slid over to the starting guard spot, and Robert Williams was given his first start of the season, and his first since the NBA Finals. Williams has been recovering from his second knee surgery back in September, and up until this point, had been operating off the bench with the second unit.