Carlos Boozer injury: Bulls forward will miss game against Hawks with calf problem

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls announced that power forward Carlos Boozer was a "game-time decision" with the calf injury that has kept him out of the past two games, but as we approach tip-off, there has been a decision made on his status.

Thibodeau says Boozer (left calf) is out tonight vs. Hawks. #ATLvsCHI

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 11, 2014

Boozer is technically the leading scorer for the Bulls this season (if you account for the Luol Deng trade and the Derrick Rose injury) at 14.8 points per game, leaving the already offensively-challenged Bulls without one of their best options. In his stead, Taj Gibson is a worthy replacement, but with a highly-motivated Paul Millsap to deal with, any absence up front for Chicago will be magnified.

From a Hawks standpoint, this should ease the pressure for the undermanned front-line on the defensive end. However, with the aforementioned Gibson seeing more time, Chicago's lights-out defense could be even more dominant, and both pace and execution will be critical for Atlanta in order to snap their 3-game losing skid.