Gibson, McDermott close to returning

The Bulls might be at full strength on Saturday against Golden State. As usual, though, concrete answers weren't available after Friday's practice.

The good news is Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott participated in the full practice. Gibson has missed six games with a sprained left ankle, and McDermott sat out the last two with a sore knee.

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'Taj was good. He's feeling a lot better,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'We'll see how he responds tomorrow, but today was very good. Doug was good today.'

Joakim Noah was given the day off to rest a sprained right ankle. He collapsed to the court in pain after turning the ankle on an opponent's foot in the first quarter of Wednesday's win at Charlotte. Noah shook off the injury, and played 32 minutes.

All three players were listed as questionable for Saturday's game on the Bulls' injury report.

Thibs knows Warriors:

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau got to know Golden State guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson last summer when they played for Team USA.

'They have great chemistry together. And on top of that, they're just great people,' said Thibodeau, an assistant on the national squad. 'I enjoyed my time around them this summer. They can shoot it from anywhere.'

Asked if he discovers new things about the players he coaches with Team USA, the Bulls coach gave a very Thibodeau answer: There isn't much he doesn't already know.

'Usually you have a pretty good idea,' Thibodeau said. 'Most guys, there are such thorough background checks on guys that you have a pretty good understanding of who they are. But I always think it's good when you have an opportunity to coach them yourself, too.'

Tough job for Butler:

Jimmy Butler, the Eastern Conference player of the month for November, talked Friday about the challenge of guarding high-scoring Golden State guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

'Our job is to just make them work for every look they get,' he said. 'Make everything difficult and challenge every shot.

'They're probably the hottest team in the league right now. It's a big challenge, but it's one we look forward to.'

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