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By K.C. Johnson

Tyrus Thomas returned to Bulls practice at the Berto Center on Monday after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, but declined to comment afterward.

Thomas missed Saturday's victory over the Heat after being disciplined for a verbal tirade against coach Vinny Del Negro in Atlanta last Friday.

"We have to move on," Del Negro said. "What happened happened. It's over with. Hopefully, Tyrus learns from it and gets better. It's not the first thing that's happened with Tyrus. He has to be smarter. He has to be committed to the team."

Thomas has played less than 16 minutes in the last three games and has been frustrated with his playing time.

Photo: Tyrus Thomas served a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. (David Pierini/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

He got cheered by fans, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in 20 minutes and exited with blood on his shirt.

What wasn't to like about Chris Richard's Bulls debut Saturday night in a 95-91 victory over the Miami Heat at the United Center?

"He gave us some really good minutes," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He was physical. I give him a lot of credit."

Richard, who filled in for Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) and Tyrus Thomas (one-game suspension), said he's just trying to bring consistent effort.

Photo: Chris Richard (left) shares a laugh on the Bulls' bench with Joakim Noah. (Chris Sweda/Tribune)

Tribune News Services

Luol Deng scored 25 points, Derrick Rose added 24 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 95-91 to snap a three-game losing streak.

After blowing a fourth-quarter lead the previous night at Atlanta, the Bulls showed the poise that led to five straight wins before this skid and prevailed even though they were missing the injured Joakim Noah and suspended Tyrus Thomas.

They went ahead early in the fourth and held on, extending Miami's season-high losing streak to five.

Jermaine O'Neal tied season highs with 24 points and 16 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 20 points, but the Heat fell for the seventh time in eight games.

Full story | Box score | Updated standings

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Tribune News Services

The Bulls suspended forward Tyrus Thomas for their game against the Miami Heat on Saturday for conduct detrimental to the team.

Thomas' suspension is another blow to a team that had lost three straight and was already short-handed up front for Saturday's game, with Joakim Noah sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot that is expected to keep him out until after the All-Star break.

"It's unfortunate timing, but in the short run, there's a responsibility," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "No one player is bigger than the team, and there's a responsibility to do things right. ... It's not one person. It's a group, and you have to be committed to what your role is on the team. You have to be committed to your teammates, your coaches, the organization. That doesn't go just for Tyrus; it goes for everybody."

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- A brutal start to the fourth quarter cost the Bulls a winnable game Friday night at Philips Arena.

The Hawks sent the Bulls to their third straight loss with a 91-81 victory.

Playing without Joakim Noah, the Bulls led 70-64 after three quarters but surrendered a 16-2 run to open the fourth. The Bulls missed eight of their first nine shots and committed two turnovers, scoring two points in the first 7 minutes, 9 seconds.

Josh Smith's triple double of 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists led the Hawks. Eight of his rebounds were offensive.

Luol Deng's 20 points led the Bulls.

Full story | Box score | Updated NBA standings

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- All five starters have reached double figures and the Bulls lead the Hawks 70-64 after three quarters Friday night at Philips Arena.

The Bulls closed the quarter with a 14-5 run that featured Taj Gibson dunking off a feed from Devin Brown and Tyrus Thomas stealing the inbounds and scoring on a drive in the final seconds.

Luol Deng leads the Bulls with 18 points.

Joe Johnson and Josh Smith have 12 each for Atlanta, which is shooting just 41.8 percent.

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- Luol Deng has 14 points and the Bulls have pulled to within 50-46 of the Hawks at halftime Friday night at Philips Arena.

The Bulls trailed by as many as 11 early.

Derrick Rose is just 3 for 11 with two of his baskets on dunks. Brad Miller added 10 points for the Bulls.

Josh Smith's 10 points leads the Hawks, who also got a quick seven-point run by Jamal Crawford during the quarter.  Crawford has nine.

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- The first quarter Friday night at Philips Arena featured a bit of everything -- except Joakim Noah.

With their emotional leader back in Chicago resting plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the Bulls fell behind the Hawks 27-20.

The Bulls started Luol Deng on Joe Johnson, who leads the Hawks with eight points. Deng's six points leads the Bulls, who also got a spectacular one-handed alley-oop dunk from Derrick Rose on a John Salmons feed.

Tyrus Thomas, whose minutes will increase in Noah's absence, tallied two points and four rebounds. He also goaltended two shots, attempted a wild running lefty hook shot in the lane and threw a cross-court pass that Maurice Evans picked off and dunked.

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- Beyond the 11.2 points and 12 rebounds Joakim Noah averages, there is this:

"Jo is the emotional leader of this team," forward Taj Gibson said.

As the Bulls try to snap a two-game skid against the Hawks Friday night, that element--along with rebounding, defense and hustle--will need to come from other sources.

Photo: Joakim Noah handles the Bulls' dirty work. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- He's got an All-Star appearance in his near future and a playoff berth in the not-so-distant future.

So Joe Johnson's thoughts only occasionally drift to his impending free agency this summer.

"I honestly don't think about it that much," Johnson said. "We've been having so much fun and we've been having so much success here. I'm trying to do what's right and keep the focus on the team. When July comes, I'll worry more about free agency."

Johnson downplayed speculation claiming the Bulls are the most likely team for which he'd leave the Hawks and claimed he doesn't think much about pairing with another All-Star guard in Derrick Rose.

By K.C. Johnson

ATLANTA -- Although he stressed it's not imminent, coach Vinny Del Negro confirmed the Bulls have talked about shutting down Joakim Noah with four games left until the All-Star break.

Noah clearly has been affected by the plantar fasciitis in his left foot the last two games and has not moved well.

Asked if the Bulls would shut Noah down if the third-year center regressed to the point where he moves even worse than he already is, Del Negro said:

"Yeah, absolutely. We're just going to try to see what we can get out of him until he can get some rest at the All-Star break. We'll monitor it every day. Some days, you feel better than others with it. We'll use him as much as he can move."

Photo: Joakim Noah's mobility is limited by plantar fasciitis in his left foot. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

By K.C. Johnson

PHILADELPHIA -- The Bulls no longer are perfect in overtime.

The 76ers handed the Bulls their first loss in five overtime games, posting a 106-103 victory at Wachovia Center.

Andre Iguodala's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 19 seconds left snapped a 98-98 tie. Following a Derrick Rose miss, Willie Green sank a baseline jumper for a five-point 76ers lead.

John Salmons scored with 49.6 seconds left to cut the Bulls' deficit to 103-100. But Iguodala blew past Salmons and the Bulls failed to rotate, allowing Iguodala an easy layup with 27.4 seconds left.

Rose's 30 points led the Bulls. Elton Brand scored 26 points and Iguodala added 25 for the 76ers.

By K.C. Johnson

PHILADELPHIA -- The Bulls are 4-0 in overtime games. Can they make it 5-0?

Derrick Rose missed a fallaway baseline jumper at the jumper to force the extra period, which the Bulls should feel fortunate to be playing.

Andre Iguodala could have pushed the 76ers ahead with 6.7 seconds left but missed the second of two free throws. Elton Brand grabbed the offensive rebound, and his baseline jumper spun in and out to keep the Bulls alive.

Luol Deng had given the Bulls a 94-93 lead with 54.9 seconds left on a putback basket.

Rose has 26 points for the Bulls.

By K.C. Johnson

PHILADELPHIA -- In a game only relatives and NBA fanatics might love, the 76ers lead the Bulls 71-70 after three quarters at Wachovia Center.

Both teams are shooting solid percentages but neither team is playing well.

Derrick Rose heated up in the quarter, scoring nine points, and now leads the Bulls with 17. Elton Brand's 22 points leads the 76ers, who scored the quarter's final five points to take the lead.

By K.C. Johnson

PHILADELPHIA -- Kirk Hinrich scored eight of his 11 points in the second quarter, including six points in a 13-2 run as the Bulls took a 51-45 lead over the 76ers at Wachovia Center.

An active Tyrus Thomas contributed 10 points off the bench, six in the first quarter and four in the second. And for the second straight game, Luol Deng sank his first five shots as Deng tied Thomas with 10 points.

Elton Brand leads Philadelphia with 16 points.

By K.C. Johnson

PHILADELPHIA -- Thaddeus Young's alley-oop dunk in the waning seconds of the first quarter pushed the 76ers to a 26-25 lead over the Bulls after one quarter Wednesday night at Wachovia Center.

The Bulls allowed 60 percent shooting, with Elton Brand abusing Taj Gibson to the tune of 10 points.

Derrick Rose's six points leads the Bulls.

By K.C. Johnson

Devin Brown has gone from starting for a decent New Orleans team to playing bit minutes thus far for the Bulls.

But one would never be able to tell from the upbeat veteran, who seems to constantly wear a smile on his face.

Luol Deng, Derrick Rose and John Salmons watch the end of the game. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

By K.C. Johnson

The Bulls' five-game win streak is history, as are the good vibes their superb road trip created.

Playing at the United Center for the first time in 18 days, the Bulls played a clunker and lost to the Clippers 90-82 Tuesday night.

The Bulls shot 38 percent with 18 turnovers.

Luol Deng's 18 points led the Bulls, although Deng only scored two points after the first quarter.

Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 24 points. Chris Kaman added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Get the full game story | box score | photos from the game

By K.C. Johnson

This is getting serious.

Flat from the start, the Bulls now trail the Clippers 78-63 after three quarters Tuesday night at the United Center.

The Bulls are shooting 40 percent with 13 turnovers.

Derrick Rose and Luol Deng lead the Bulls with 16 points, although Deng hasn't scored since the first quarter.

Eric Gordon scored 15 of his 21 points in the third to lead the Clippers.