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Bulls rule out Taj Gibson for Tuesday

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls are putting an end to the game-time decision routine they've been using throughout November.

With Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler, Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah all relatively healthy now, Taj Gibson remains the only outstanding question mark on the roster. The Bulls aren't waiting until game time Tuesday to see how Gibson feels, though, ruling him out Monday for their game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Gibson has been sidelined since Nov. 21 with a sprained left ankle, which saw him leave the team for a bit on their recent seven-game road trip. While he's now back with the team, the Bulls are being cautious with Gibson's ankle, likely because he's now sprained it three times in the last seven months.

With Gibson sidelined for the past four games, Nikola Mirotic has received some extra playing time as the team's primary big off the bench. After averaging just 5.6 points in 14.3 minutes over his first 13 games, Mirotic is averaging 9.8 in 25.8, respectively, with Gibson on the shelf.

That's solid production, but the team still misses Gibson's 12.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and stellar defense off the bench. The Bulls have been slightly better with Gibson than without, even with a pair of strong starters in the frontcourt, which speaks to how valuable he is in maintaining the team's level of production when the second unit enters the game.

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