Joakim Noah Returns From Ankle Injury

Added on Apr 04, 2011 by Scott in

NBA

Bulls center Joakim Noah returned to practice today a week after injuring his ankle in a loss to the Sixers. Barring any setbacks, he should take the court tomorrow night when Chicago hosts Phoenix. Despite going 3-0 in his absence, the Bulls will welcome back Noah with open arms as they attempt to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With six games left to play, they hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Heat.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau sounded optimistic when speaking about his gimpy big man:

“He moved well today, so hopefully he’ll be ready to go,” Thibodeau said. “The injury he had [with the] ankle, that happens. He did a good job with his rehab and hopefully he’ll be ready to go.”

Noah, who has played in 42 games this season, missed two months after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his hand back in December. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 11 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game, and has recorded 19 double-doubles.

Needless to say, having a healthy lineup heading into the playoffs will be key to Chicago’s hopes of reaching the NBA Finals. If seeding holds, they will face the Pacers in the opening round.

Source: ESPN.com