No doubting Thomas as Bulls hold on
From the next locker, guard Lindsey Hunter laughed at the question. But how could he appreciate the situation, having only been with the Bulls since Nov. 13?
For two-plus seasons, Bulls fans have seen tantalizing glimpses of Tyrus Thomas' talent. But the 22-year-old forward is starting to add a new ingredient to his game - consistency.
Thomas produced 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls took care of business with a fairly routine 98-86 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday at the United Center.
It was Thomas' third straight game with at least 14 points. Over the last 11 contests, minus a concussion-shortened stint against the Clippers, he has averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds, nearly 2 steals and 2 blocks per game, while shooting a respectable 49.5 percent from the field.
So the natural question, no laughing necessary, is whether Thomas is starting to feel like he's figuring things out and gaining confidence on the floor.
"I know what I've got to do and I know what can help the team," Thomas said. "It's just doing what you can do and not worrying about the other stuff. I had a tendency to let the other things bother me."
Thomas finished his self-assessment with a line that might pass for Louisiana logic.
"You do all you can do; you really can't do any more anyway," he said.
Drew Gooden (16 points, 11 rebounds) joined Thomas in recording a double-double. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 22 points, while Derrick Rose collected 9 assists to offset a poor shooting night (3-for-12).
The Bulls finished with 29 assists, well above their season average.
"We were a little better defensively tonight, and some of that was from having a couple days of practice," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We still made too many mistakes at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth."
This game was almost a lower-scoring duplication of the Wizards' first visit to Chicago on Dec. 6. In that meeting, the Wizards were down 17 with seven minutes remaining and got as close as 4 before losing.
On Friday, the Bulls were up 87-71 with six minutes left and allowed Washington to close within 89-82 on Antawn Jamison's fastbreak lay-in with 2:53 remaining.
With their lead teetering, the Bulls responded with some good execution. After the ball went out of bounds, they took a timeout with three seconds on the shot clock and were able to set up a baseline drive and basket by Gordon.
Bulls forward Thabo Sefolosha deserves credit for his defense against Caron Butler. The Wizards shooting guard finished with just 2 points, 18 below his average, and called it one of his worst games ever.
Butler and Jamison combined to hit 5 of 20 shots, but guard Nick Young had a hot hand, hitting 12 of 15 shots for 28 points.
Washington coach Ed Tapscott got himself tossed at the 10:07 mark of the fourth quarter by blowing up at a blatant carrying call against Young.
The Bulls (16-20) will complete their back-to-back games against the league's two worst teams by hosting Oklahoma City (5-32) tonight.
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