Benching now a small issue

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CHARLOTTE -- For the second straight game, Ben Wallace ceded to rookie Tyrus Thomas for the game's stretch run.

Coach Scott Skiles' penchant for using small lineups to try to jump-start the Bulls offensively often makes Wallace's fourth-quarter minutes a casualty. In Tuesday's loss to the Raptors, the Bulls needed one stop and one defensive rebound to win and Thomas guarded Chris Bosh.

"Of course I want to be out there," Wallace said. "Those are the strengths of my game, to get stops and rebound the basketball. But at times like that, you never really know what coaches are thinking. They have so many different things they have to look at and sometimes they get a little sidetracked."

Benching now a small issue on ChicagoSports.com