Chicago Bulls PF Taj Gibson will play vs. Knicks

Despite suffering an ankle injury in Tuesday's 100-89 win against the Boston Celtics, power forward Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls told reporters that he'll be back on Friday for a game against the Eastern Conference-leading New York Knicks.

"I'm going to play," Gibson said before Friday morning's shootaround. "I'll be fine. Just been getting treatment twice a day, just trying to stay ready and be ready for (Friday night)."

Gibson recorded 13 points, four assists and five rebounds in just under 26 minutes against the Celtics. That's more than his average of 20 minutes with which he averages 6.3 points, 0.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds.

A first round pick of the Bulls in the 2009 NBA Draft, Gibson's minutes have steadily decreased since his rookie season when he made 70 starts and averaged nine points per game. His last start came during the 2010-11 season.

The Bulls are 14-10 and lead the NBA's Central Division despite missing point guard Derrick Rose, the winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award in 2011 and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2009.