"Bulls forward Carlos Boozer did not practice Thursday, but his turf toe injury is improving and coach Tom Thibodeau is hopeful he will play in Game 1 of the Bulls' Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at the United Center.

Boozer suffered the injury in the second quarter of Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers on

Tuesday night. When the Bulls returned to the practice floor at the Berto Center on Thursday, he received treatment for the injury, lifted weights and watched practice.

Asked if he expected Boozer to play, Thibodeau said, ''It's hard to say, but I'm thinking he will be able to.

''He's getting quite a bit of treatment. He's getting rest. Doing some lifting and things like that. The big thing is he feels a lot better today than he did yesterday.''"