Mike Dunleavy to miss 13th consecutive game with nagging ankle sprain

Mike Dunleavy's right ankle wasn't thought to be this bad.

The Chicago Bulls wing will miss his 13th consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle on Sunday, despite the fact that he's sounded close to returning on multiple occasions. The sprain was originally thought to be mild and he wasn't expected to miss much time, but nearly a month later he remains on the shelf.

As recently as Friday, head coach Tom Thibodeau had said Dunleavy went through all parts of team practice, but he didn't feel 100 percent during warmups. It has to be frustrating for the 34-year-old veteran who has watched his team struggle some in his stead, going 6-6 and only recently righting the ship with impressive back-to-back wins.

Dunleavy's absence is hardly the root cause of the team stumbling, but their wing depth has been tested and found somewhat wanting. Tony Snell has drawn the most recent starts and has scored 34 points over his past three outings, an encouraging development given his earlier struggles and the decline of Kirk Hinrich.

In 33 games before the injury, Dunleavy was averaging 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds, shooting 41.7 percent from long range.