"Bulls forward Carlos Boozer dismissed fan and media grumbling that if he's hurt, he shouldn't play.

''I can't worry about that,'' Boozer said. ''I worry about the guys in the locker room. My teammates want me to play if I can play. My coaches want me to play if I can play. And I can play. I know I'm doing the right thing.''

Giving an update on the painful turf-toe injury to his right big toe, Boozer said, ''From a week ago, it's much better. I think better games are ahead. But it's not 100 percent. It's just painful.''

Does it get better day by day?

''It doesn't get worse,'' he said of an injury that often lingers.

After scoring eight points on 4-for-12 shooting in Game 2 — a performance that brought out boos — Boozer scored six points on 3-for-6 shooting on an abbreviated night Friday.

With the Bulls blowing out the Atlanta Hawks, he played only 71/2 minutes in the second half, sitting out the fourth quarter.

But coach Tom Thibodeau said that was more about keeping Taj Gibson, who was playing well, on the court.

''He was playing so well, and the unit was playing so well,'' Thibodeau said. ''That's what we decided to do there.''"