Thomas a factor off the bench

One aspect of Tuesday's win over the Sonics worked out so well for the Bulls, it almost looked staged.

Joakim Noah replaced starter Joe Smith at power forward late in the first quarter and picked up 2 fouls in just over a minute.

That gave coach Scott Skiles the perfect opportunity to re-introduce Tyrus Thomas to the lineup. Thomas left the bench to cheers from the crowd and stayed on the floor for 11 minutes. He eventually finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 21 minutes.

"We had a lot of energy going," coach Scott Skiles said. "So it's not like we needed it. And yet, he came in and had some nice pop and his rebounding was a big factor."

In the previous four games, Thomas had played zero, zerio, six and seven minutes. This came after the second-year forward started 11 games earlier this season.

Dorm mate recalls slump: Kirk Hinrich has been stuck in a brutal shooting slump this season. His college roommate at Kansas, Seattle forward Nick Collison, recalled another low point in Hinrich's basketball career before Tuesday's game.

"He was a freshman getting pulled in and out, trying to get used to college," Collison said. "I think he just got more playing time and had some good games. That's all it usually takes is two or three good games in a row and guys can snap out of it."

So was Hinrich tough to live with during those days?

"He keeps to himself quite a bit," Collison answered. "He just kind of stayed in his room. I wouldn't see him very much. But he wasn't tough to live with or anything like that."

Wedding crasher: Seattle forward Nick Collison has known Kirk Hinrich since they played on the same AAU team in Iowa. None of the Bulls players attended Hinrich's wedding in July, but Collison was there, naturally.

"It was fun. It was in Jamaica," Collison said. "A lot of friends there. Hung out by the pool during the day, had the wedding at night. It was a good time.

"I don't know exactly what the numbers were. It was pretty big for a destination wedding. He had quite a few people from home show up, a few people from college. I think some people from here in Chicago. It was a pretty good group."

Bulls fans might be curious to know if the low-key Hinrich lit it up on the dance floor that night.

"I think he did, actually," Collison said. "He felt the pressure. I think everyone was pulling him out there, which I know was out of his comfort zone. But he was a good sport."

Bull horns: All 12 Bulls players in uniform scored during Tuesday's win. … The Bulls and Sonics sent five players onto the fourth quarter who speak fluent French -- Thabo Sefolosha, Joakim Noah, Mickael Gelabale, Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene.