Opportunity there tonight for Thomas

Power forward Drew Gooden is likely to miss his second game due to a lower abdominal strain when the Bulls host the Boston Celtics tonight.

"Drew does not have a hernia, which is a good thing," coach Jim Boylan said following Monday's practice. "But he has some inflammation in there. So we're just going to take it day by day and see what happens."

Gooden's injury figures to give Tyrus Thomas another turn in the starting lineup. Thomas contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds in place of Gooden during Saturday's win over Milwaukee.

Many Bulls fans would probably suggest that Thomas should be playing heavy minutes anyway, with nine games remaining and the Bulls barely alive in the playoff race.

In his second NBA season, Thomas hasn't been able to string together many strong performances.

A prime example was the first two games after Ben Wallace and Joe Smith were sent to Cleveland. Thomas was terrific, producing a combined 36 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 blocks, while shooting 67 percent from the field against Denver and Houston.

A week later, Gooden replaced Thomas in the starting lineup. Over the next 11 games, during which Thomas was suspended for two games for skipping a practice, the 6-foot-9 forward never played as many as 20 minutes in any one contest.

"He's going to get an opportunity, so hopefully he takes advantage of it," Boylan said Monday. "He's got to maintain a high energy level and then play to his strengths."

There were many games in March when the coaching staff seemed to lose faith in Thomas, playing him in the first half, but not the second. Thomas also got into quick foul trouble several times, which limited his opportunities.

"He's got to learn how to stay out of foul trouble," Boylan said. "There are certain ways to stay out there and be effective and still not find yourself picking up a couple cheap fouls here and there.

"When he does his work around the rim and he's active changing ends, he's an effective player. When he does that, he plays a lot."

Bull horns: Rookie center Aaron Gray skipped Monday's practice due to back spasms but is showing improvement. He sat out Saturday's game against Milwaukee. … Thabo Sefolosha showed up at practice Monday with his hair puffed out in a large afro. Coach Jim Boylan joked that the second-year guard appeared ready to play in the old ABA.

Tonight's tipoff

Bulls vs. Boston Celtics at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The Bulls have had no luck against the new-look Celtics (58-15), losing three games by an average margin of 20 points. The Bulls have shot just 34 percent from the field against Boston. The Dec. 8 meeting at the United Center was reasonably competitive before the Celtics pulled away for a 92-81 victory.

Fast fact: The Celtics, who went 24-58 last season, need 3 more wins to clinch the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history. San Antonio's 36-game improvement in 1997-98 is the mark to beat.

Next: Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, 7 p.m. Thursday

-- Mike McGraw