Bulls' Gibson plays warrior role
The Bulls got some surprisingly good news on the injury front when Taj Gibson decided he could play against Brooklyn on Thursday.
The previous night in Washington, Gibson played just seven minutes and sat out the second half with a hamstring injury.
"Yeah, Taj is a warrior, there's no doubt about it," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He wanted to continue to play (Wednesday) night. It just wasn't smart, to keep him in there the way he was feeling. He loosened up after the game. He got treatment this morning and felt pretty good. … He's doing everything he can to get us into the playoffs."
Pau Gasol missed his third straight game with a sore knee and is expected to be out a few more days, at least.
"He's going to start getting back on the floor (Friday) and get some stationary shots up," Hoiberg said. "I'd say he's doubtful for the next couple for sure. Hopefully he'll progress, feel good and he'll continue to make progress after the swelling has gone down.
"He's feeling significantly better than he was. Tomorrow will be his first day back on the floor and hopefully he responds well to that."
Cyclones on the brain:
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg admitted to being distracted Thursday afternoon by the Iowa State-Iona game in the NCAA Tournament. Hoiberg had mentioned his wife and kids went to Denver to attend the game.
Hoiberg was the first coach in Iowa State history to take the Cyclones to four straight NCAA tournaments. He reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2014, but last year was upset by UAB in the first round as a No. 3 seed.
"(My family) had a great time," Hoiberg said before Thursday's game. "I was finishing my prep on Brooklyn, but I had it on in the background. I loved the way they played. They're off to a great start. Hopefully they'll win again Saturday and will be in Chicago next week (for the regional)."
Holiday doesn't hear rap:
Justin Holiday earned some national attention after Monday's game in Toronto; not because of any heroics, but for committing a five-second violation late in the game while rapper Drake stood behind him talking trash (apparently).
Drake is a courtside regular at Raptors games, though he's been known to shift allegiances at times. Holiday talked about the episode in Washington on Wednesday.
"I wasn't paying attention to him," he said, according to espn.com. "I was listening to the ref. The ref was talking to me at the time. And I had to focus on getting the ball in the play. I wasn't worried about what Drake was talking about."
Holiday did claim he's a big fan of Drake, and just about everyone he knows sent him a link to the video.
Bull horns:
E'Twaun Moore left Thursday's game in the second quarter with a left hamstring injury. ... Nets coach Tony Brown is a Chicago native who attended Farragut Academy. He also played 10 games for the Bulls in 1985-86, and his first coaching job was under Mike Dunleavy Sr. in Portland. … As usual, the Bulls wore green uniforms for St. Patrick's Day.