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Thomas plays big role in Bulls’ win

The Bulls pooled their resources Tuesday and gave fans a holiday gift money can’t buy — evidence the team might be OK while center Joakim Noah recovers from a thumb injury during the next 8-10 weeks.

The first game without Noah was a 1-point loss to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls got it right on their second attempt.

Playing a Philadelphia team that ranked second in the league in defensive field-goal percentage, the Bulls shot an impressive 64.5 percent, built a 51-point lead in the fourth quarter and rolled to a ridiculously easy 121-76 win at the United Center.

It was their biggest margin of victory since a 111-66 decision over Memphis on Jan. 13, 2007.

“There wasn’t much not to like,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought we came out right from the start and thought we had great energy.”

The Bulls (17-9) even played without Noah’s replacement. Taj Gibson missed the game because of a concussion suffered Saturday but said there’s a chance he will play on Wednesday night in Washington.

Gibson’s injury sent veteran Kurt Thomas, 38, into the starting lineup, and he played like he’d been waiting for this opportunity. Until the Clippers game, Thomas had played just 12 minutes all season.

Against the Sixers, he produced 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Most of the blocks occurred at waist level, where Thomas was ready with quick hands.

“He’s been doing it for 100 years,” Thibodeau joked. “He’s a smart player, plays great body-position defense, great communicator. I thought he helped our pick-and-roll defense tremendously.”

Even though he rarely played early this season, Thomas seemed to have an impact on his Bulls teammates with his veteran wisdom.

“He’s battle-tested. That’s why he’s here,” Carlos Boozer said. “That’s why Thibs brought him in. He knew if we needed a big to step in, he could be the guy to give us big minutes. He’s prepared for this.”

Derrick Rose watched Thomas step up his activity level from the time Noah started talking about needing thumb surgery.

“He’s been running on the treadmill, just being there early, getting himself prepared for what he has to do when he comes into the game,” Rose said. “He didn’t shock us when he was hitting all those shots tonight because in practice he’s been hitting them every day.”

Now the big test will be if Thomas can turn around and play this well again in Washington in the second leg of back-to-back games. Fortunately for the Bulls, no one played heavy minutes in this contest.

“I’ve been playing this game a long time,” Thomas said. “I know how to prepare for a game. It’s just about making sure I get my rest, getting fluids in my body and making sure I’m ready to go tomorrow night. I still enjoy playing.”

Rose and Luol Deng led the Bulls with 22 points each, while Boozer had 16 and C.J. Watson scored 14.

Philadelphia (11-17) shot just 35 percent from the field. Andre Iguodala scored 17 points for the Sixers, while rookie guard Evan Turner from St. Joseph High School hit 2 of 11 shots for 4 points in his hometown NBA debut. The Sixers had won eight of their previous 11 games.

“We’ve been playing really well as of late, so we did not see this game coming,” Sixers forward Elton Brand said. “They just really took it to us.”

Added coach Doug Collins: “I knew within the first three minutes of the game. They ran the same play three times against us. I said to our coaches, ‘We’re not here tonight.’”