Tyrus Thomas' return sparks Bulls victory
When Tyrus Thomas was last seen in a Bulls uniform, he was completing one of the most tumultuous weeks imaginable.
He was unhappy about sitting out the fourth quarter of a loss at Miami and later lectured on the topic by a teammate at practice. He got sick and missed a game, then flew on his own to participate in a surprising victory at Cleveland on Nov. 5. A day later, Thomas broke his left arm while doing a routine pull up in the Berto Center weight room.
Exactly seven weeks after having surgery to repair the fracture with a metal plate, Thomas took the court to a loud ovation from fans at the United Center.
He responded by piling up 21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks as the Bulls coasted to a 96-85 victory over New Orleans on Saturday.
Inside the locker room, Thomas admitted that spending seven weeks without basketball changed his attitude.
"I'm just more calm - I try to be anyway - on the floor, off the floor," he said. "I just had a lot of time to think and you think some guys have season-ending injuries or career-ending injuries, and it just makes you understand what I'm here to do and try to take advantage of every moment."
So, mission accomplished, right?
"I played well and we got a win," Thomas replied. "Can't ask for more."
Thomas (10-for-17 from the field) was effective from the time he checked in at the 8:51 mark of the first quarter. About two minutes later, he hustled back on defense and rejected a fastbreak lay-up attempt by New Orleans center Emeka Okafor.
Eventually, Thomas scored his points just about every way possible. He knocked down some jumpers and used his athleticism to get to the rim. Late in the second quarter, he even stole a pass, crossed over David West and finished a fastbreak dunk.
"It felt like the first day of school all day today. It was great," Thomas joked. "That's the only day (school) is fun. I got a new backpack, supplies. It was great."
The NBA standings provide a good illustration of why the Bulls have no reason to give up on the season. Even with an 11-17 record, they would make the playoffs if the season ended today and draw a rematch with Boston in the first round.
"Fresh start, no, because the record isn't going anywhere," center Joakim Noah said. "At the same time, it just feels good to have somebody who's a game-changer like Tyrus. He's affected so many games that I've been in. Having Tyrus back brings us a dimension we didn't have."
Noah had a monster game of his own, finishing with 17 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. Starting guards Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich scored 14 points each and combined for 16 assists. The Bulls set a season-high with 28 assists in their first game of the season with Hinrich in the starting lineup.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half as New Orleans shooting guard Devin Brown went a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point range for 22 points.
Brown rang up a goose egg in the second half, though, and the Bulls outscored the Hornets 23-9 in the third quarter to take command. New Orleans (13-15) collected 5 of those third-quarter points in the final minute.
The sellout crowd grew uneasy a few times down the stretch, understandable considering the Bulls blew a 35-point lead against Sacramento in their last home game. But the Hornets never got closer than 9 in the fourth quarter.