NBA Injury Report: Joakim Noah Ruled Doubtful vs. Heat

The Chicago Bulls will be without Joakim Noah for Tonight’s game against the Miami Heat

Joakim Noah was ruled doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Heat, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

The Bulls big man is still recovering from a sore ankle that’s kept him sidelined for the last 2 games, originally suffering the injury on December 3rd in Charlotte, one day after he appeared to tweak his ankle late in a loss to the Mavericks.

Noah recently told Mark Strotman of CSN Chicago he could play if the Bulls really needed him to, but vouched to take a safe approach with the injury instead, knowing it could affect both him and the team long term if he doesn’t let it heal properly.

"“If I could play I could play. But right now my ankle’s still bothering me, so I have to be smart,” Noah said Friday after the team’s shootaround. “It’s lingering. But it’s the life we chose and I’m doing all the rehab and getting all the information. Hope it won’t be too much longer.”"

Noah has already experienced a handful of injuries this season, including issues with his knee, eye and most recently his ankle, which have caused him to miss a total of 5 games.

In turn, it’s really had an affect on his overall play, as he’s dropped his averages in points (12.6-8.9), rebounds (11.3-9.6) and assists (5.4-4.5) when compared to last year.