Dunleavy could be boost Bulls need
With four days between games, the Bulls are hoping to move closer to full health.
Mike Dunleavy, who has missed 16 games with a right ankle injury, did not practice Monday but may return to action soon.
"We felt it was a good opportunity for him to get another day with the break," coach Tom Thibodeau said following practice at the Advocate Center. "Hopefully he'll respond and come back soon."
Center Joakim Noah joined the growing chorus of voices who think Dunleavy is more valuable to the Bulls than many believed.
"Dun's huge. He's a big part of this team," Noah said. "He understands team defense very well and he spaces the floor, something we really need."
The Bulls have gone 7-9 in the games Dunleavy missed. So maybe they'll play more like the team that went 23-10 when he was in the lineup.
"I hope so, I really hope so," Noah added. "Guys are putting in a lot of work. The last month has been very up and down, but also, I think it's good in the sense that we see who we really are.
"There are a lot of areas we have to get better. You know Dun-Dun coming back would be big for us, but we definitely have a lot of work to do."
Lone win out West:
Tom Thibodeau discussed the first leg of the ice-show road trip, which included a big win and a pair of disappointing losses.
"The Golden State game, I thought we played very well," he said. "The Laker game was a very winnable game. We had a 5-point lead and we let that get away. The second half of the Phoenix game, I thought we played very well.
"Unfortunately, we only had 1 win to show for it. We have to bounce back and get the next one. The one thing about those three teams is the way they can score. We need a little more consistency from our bench.
"Hopefully we can get it done."
Bull horns:
Joakim Noah acknowledged the 114-105 win over Houston on Jan. 5 was one of the Bulls' best this season. "That was a good feeling going back to the locker room, after that game," he said. "So hopefully we get that feeling again in that locker room in Houston." …
Coach Tom Thibodeau on Noah's recent strong play: "He was great in practice today, too, so that's a good sign." … For the record, Thibodeau had no opinion on the Super Bowl halftime show, claiming he didn't watch it. He did not reveal if he watched NBA game tape instead.