Noah misses Bulls practice, but Deng returns
Just one new injury for the Bulls on Friday as center Joakim Noah sat out practice due to tightness in his hip.
Noah had 10 points and 8 rebounds in Wednesday's win at Brooklyn.
“He's not quite sure when he did it,” coach Tom Thibodeau said at the Berto Center. “Just felt some tightness, so it was an opportunity to give him another day of rest. We'll see where he is tomorrow.”
Luol Deng, meanwhile, participated in the majority of practice. He has missed seven of the last 10 games with a sore left Achilles. His status for Saturday's home game against Dallas is questionable, but there is a chance he'll return.
“He shot yesterday and felt OK,” Thibodeau said. “He did about three-quarters of practice today and said he felt decent, so we'll see where he is tomorrow.”
The two players who returned from injuries against Brooklyn, Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich, were doing well on Friday, according to Thibodeau.
Teague ready for D-League:Coach Tom Thibodeau talked Friday about Marquis Teague's assignment to the D-League's Iowa Energy. Iowa is scheduled to play two home games this weekend.#8220;It's not a demotion. It's an opportunity for him to get some playing time,#8221; Thibodeau said. #8220;When I say playing time, we're hopeful it's significant #8212; three quarters of a game, so he just can play. He's had some good moments here. We want him to continue to develop.#8221;Teague was assigned to Iowa once before on Dec. 3, but returned immediately because of an injury to the since-released Mike James.#8220;He's a very confident kid. He's still learning. He's young,#8221; Thibodeau said of Teague. #8220;You have to look at it in totality where you're saying, #8216;OK, he's done a good job with his individual work. He's practicing more like a pro. It's an opportunity where he can go out there and play.' That never hurts.#8221;Player without a home:Mike Dunleavy's father Mike was born in Brooklyn, so he got to see some family during the Christmas trip. From the time Mike Jr. was born in 1980, though, his father played for Houston, San Antonio and Milwaukee, then coached the Lakers, Bucks, Blazers and Clippers.Is there any place he considers home?#8220;No, not really,#8221; Dunleavy said Friday. #8220;I tell people out west, Portland, Ore. It's where I went to high school. It's kind of my hometown, but we moved around so much, I've got a bunch of different homes. It's not a bad thing. Everywhere you go, you kind of know somebody.#8221;Dual point guards work well:D.J. Augustin and Kirk Hinrich shared the court for five minutes in the second quarter against Brooklyn and the Bulls outscored the Nets 12-5 during that span.#8220;It's a different look. I like the fact that you have multiple pick and roll players on the floor,#8221; coach Tom Thibodeau said. #8220;It changes the speed of the game a little bit, so that's a big plus. Defensively, Kirk can guard both positions well, so I think it's very good for us.#8221;Bulls game dayBulls vs. Dallas Mavericks at the United Center, 7 p.m. SaturdayTV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet / ESPN 1000-AMUpdate: With a healthy Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks (16-13) are back in playoff contention after missing the postseason last year. Nowitzki, 35, is averaging 21.6 points. Former Bucks SG Monta Ellis is at 20.7 points, while shooting 46 percent from the field. Jose Calderon (12.4 ppg), Vince Carter (11.0) and Shawn Marion (10.7) round out the top scorers, while DeJuan Blair and Sam Dalembert are tied for the team lead in rebounds. Dallas has dropped three straight at the United Center.Next: Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum, 7 p.m. Monday— Mike McGraw