Dec. 30--Doug McDermott underwent an MRI on his injured right knee Tuesday, and the Bulls listed the second-year forward as day to day with a strain.
McDermott had a portion of his right meniscus removed in December 2014. There is no plan for a second surgery.
"It's not in the joint," coach Fred Hoiberg said when asked about the possibility of a scope.
McDermott, a late scratch Monday, has experienced soreness in the knee twice in the last nine days.
"Doug's been really good for us. He's been consistent," Hoiberg said. "He really spreads the floor us and knocks down shots."
Tony Snell, who said his benching "definitely upset me," replaced McDermott and scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help beat the Raptors.
"A goal of mine is to try to stay consistent," Snell said. "Whether I'm starting or not, I'm always going to be ready. I know my time will come. I'm trying to continue to learn and work hard."
Marquee matchup: Jimmy Butler draws the short straw and the defensive assignment on the Pacers' Paul George on Wednesday. George has averaged 29.5 points in the first two meetings, although Butler blocked a George shot at the buzzer to preserve the Bulls' home victory in November.
"Jimmy has tough matchups pretty much every night," Hoiberg said. "Paul George is playing as well as anybody in this league right now. We've got to have a full team effort."
Butler, who hasn't been available to reporters for two days, played an uncharacteristically low-energy game against the Raptors. He did post five assists while scoring five points on just seven shots.
"We put the ball in his hands a lot in the third quarter, and he made really good plays," Hoiberg said. "I didn't think he tried to force the issue. When the open pass was there to be made, he made it. ... He had a big basket for us in the fourth quarter.
"He expends a lot of energy. He plays so hard on the defensive end. He had a tough matchup with (DeMar) DeRozan, and other guys had it going. Jimmy gets all that."
Forward thinking: Mike Dunleavy did some light dribbling and spot shooting after practice but remains two to three weeks from getting on the court or running, according to Hoiberg. How Dunleavy reacts to that will determine if he plays this season after offseason back surgery.
"I know he's trying to strengthen those core muscles," Hoiberg said. "Hopefully, this can be it."
