Bulls' Denzel Valentine Out At Least 2 Weeks With An Ankle Sprain

(CBS) Bulls rookie forward Denzel Valentine will miss at least two weeks with a sprained left ankle, coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters Tuesday.

Valentine suffered the injury in the third quarter of Monday's preseason opener, a game the Bulls lost 93-91 to the Bucks. Valentine called the injury a "mild sprain" after the days and expected to miss a few days, but he'll be out longer that that. Prior to leaving the game, Valentine had four points and two assists in 11 minutes. He was praised by Hoiberg afterward for his good decision-making.

"It is a setback," Hoiberg said, according to the Tribune. "Hopefully we'll get him back for the last couple exhibition games. I want to play him with the ball in his hands as a primary ball-handler. We've been doing that with him some in practice, and he's done a nice job with it. He's one of our better instinctive passers, and we'll miss that element."

The two-week timeline means Valentine will miss at least the next four preseason games. If all goes well, he could be back for the final two games.