Bulls' Noah out again Thursday with ankle injury

Joakim Noah will miss a fourth straight game when the Chicago Bulls host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, as the All-Star center continues to be plagued by a sprained right ankle.

Noah injured his ankle in last Wednesday's loss to the Washington Wizards and underwent an MRI on Monday, which came back clean, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The Bulls are struggling through their worst stretch of the season, having lost two straight games and six of their last eight, including three losses by at least 14 points.

Noah, who took home Defensive Player of the Year honors last year and was named to the All-NBA first team, has yet to regain his peak form following offseason knee surgery. The 29-year-old is averaging 7.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks on career-low 44.7 percent shooting.