MIAMI — If Taj Gibson returns Monday against the Magic, the versatile forward will do so with an unwanted addition — a bulky knee brace.

Gibson sat for the seventh straight game Sunday after re-injuring the sprained MCL in his left knee on April 2 in Washington.

"I feel good, had a great workout (Saturday)," Gibson said. "I feel a lot stronger. I don't want to just wait until the playoffs. I want to get some reps and contact."

Gibson merely wore a protective sleeve when he returned the first time after missing 10 games with the original sprain. He admitted the metal brace is "helping the knee a lot." But that doesn't mean he has to like it.

"It's terrible, terrible," Gibson said. "To help me get used to it, I've been wearing it around all day. But it still sucks. It doesn't let you really fully bend your leg. It kind of leaves an arc in your leg, but I've got to adjust. A lot of players are playing with it."

Joakim Noah worked out intensely before Sunday's matinee but sat for the 12th time in 13 games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Bombs away: The Bulls launched 26 3-pointers, one off their season high set in Thursday's victory over the Knicks. In both games, coach Tom Thibodeau started Carlos Boozer at center with four perimeter players.

"We're small, and those are the shots that are presenting themselves," Thibodeau said. "What happens when you do that is your offense picks up, but your defense suffers. The value of both Taj and Joakim is you can stay big when teams go small because of their feet."

Masked man: Per league rules, Richard Hamilton couldn't come to the arena Sunday as he served his one-game suspension for elbowing Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan during Friday's loss in Toronto. Thibodeau said he was surprised by the ruling.

"It was a tough call because I thought there was a lot of grabbing and holding on the play from the start," Thibodeau said. "The league makes those decisions and there's not much you can do about it."

Since signing a two-year, $10 million deal with a $1 million buyout for next year, Hamilton has played in 52.1% of the Bulls' 146 games.

Fore! A missed free throw by Kirk Hinrich prevented a rarity — two four-point plays within 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Jimmy Butler converted his at the 10:20 mark of the third. Hinrich missed his opportunity with 8:18 left.

kcjohnson@tribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop