ORLANDO, Fla. — The Chicago Bulls’ rally was just short but former LSU player Tyrus Thomas made quite a splash in his second NBA summer league game at the RDV Sportsplex here Tuesday night.
Chicago, down 49-36, after two periods, lost the game 88-87 to the Charlotte Bobcats to fall to 1-1 in the weeklong league.
Thomas, the SEC Freshman of the Year and the fourth pick in the 2006 NBA draft, started and played almost 26 minutes, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Thomas hit 8-of-13 field goals and 1-of-4 free throws, playing the third most minutes of any of the 12 members of the Bulls summer league squad.
In the opening game Monday night in the six-team league, Chicago defeated the Indiana Pacers summer squad, 93-88. In that game, Thomas played the most minutes of any Chicago player, scoring 10 points with four rebounds. Thomas hit 3-of-9 field goals and 4-of-5 free throw attempts.
The league continues play on Wednesday with Chicago taking on Miami in the third and final game of the night. The summer league teams play four 10-minute quarters.