In a surprise move, Joakim Noah will play tonight when the Bulls host the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center.

Noah had missed seven games with plantar fasciitis of the left foot and hasn't done much basketball-wise since Feb. 3. Because the Bulls didn't have a shootaround because they were playing for a second straight night, Noah's only action with a team was 20 minutes of practice on Monday.

"We'll try to limit his minutes a little bit," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We'll put him in in the first half and see how he feels and then we'll make a decision at half time on how he's doing.

"If he feels good, I'll play him in the second [half]. If doesn't, I'll sit him down."

With the Bulls playing their fourth game in five nights, Noah said he'll try to provide a boost any way he can.

"I've been on the bike a lot and I've been doing as much as I can to try and keep my conditioning right," he said. "But obviously, those things are nothing compared to playing basketball. Whatever minutes coach gives me tonight, I'm just gonna go out there and do my best."