Jimmy Butler is day-to-day after shoulder MRI

...coach Tom Thibodeau said an MRI exam confirmed the All-Star swingman has a strained right shoulder.

Thibodeau said Butler is listed as day-to-day. It's more likely than not that Butler will miss Thursday's high-profile showdown against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls already have ruled Kirk Hinrich out with turf toe.

"Jimmy's still sore," Thibodeau said. "We'll see where he is (Thursday)."

Butler is scheduled to participate in his first All-Star game this weekend in New York. He aggravated his injury, which he originally played through on Sunday in Orlando, when he got hit by Reggie Evans' legal screen.

"That’s what you’re supposed to do," Thibodeau said of playing through contact. "It’s his job. It shouldn’t be unusual. That’s what everyone should be doing. If you’re playing to win, you know, the NBA, it’s contact, it’s body on body. So, there’s no getting around that."