(My Sportsbook) - A day after losing big man Tyrus Thomas for up to six weeks with a broken left forearm, Chicago gets back to work by hosting the Charlotte Bobcats at the United Center.
Thomas hurt the arm during a weight training session and will undergo surgery on Saturday. A solid defensive presence, the LSU product has averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in four games this season.
On the, floor the Bulls won their second straight game on Thursday in Cleveland when Luol Deng scored 15 points and helped to deny LeBron James on a last-second drive to the hoop as Chicago Bulls edged the Cavaliers, 86-85, at Quicken Loans Arena.
Derrick Rose added 14 points and 11 assists, while John Salmons also scored 14 for the Bulls, who posted their second straight victory. Taj Gibson ended with 11 points and seven boards. Joakim Noah, who also converged on James in the final crucial Cavs offensive play, pulled down 11 rebounds to go with seven points.
"It is good that we are getting some stops when we need to," said Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. "We need to make some more shots to be more effective and score a few more points but that will come. It was an excellent win for us and I am happy for the guys. I was happy more with our energy, our approach and our emphasis the final five to six minutes of the game being able to make plays."
The Bobcats, meanwhile, are coming off a very impressive win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Raja Bell went 5-for-6 from three-point range and scored 24 points in that one to lead Charlotte Bobcats in a 103-83 rout of the Hawks at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Flip Murray, who made his Bobcats debut after missing the first four games with a shin problem, had 15 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats, who won their second straight game.
Gerald Wallace donated 18 boards and 11 points, while D.J. Augustin also scored 11. Tyson Chandler ended with 10 points and as many rebounds, while Boris Diaw gave 10 and nine.
The Bulls are a perfect 2-0 in the Windy City this season and are 7-2 all-time against the Bobcats at the United Center.
