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MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago Bulls won for the second time in two nights Saturday, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 at Target Center to end Minnesota’s five-game winning streak. The Timberwolves scored 13 straight points in the third quarter to get within one, but they never led after the opening minutes.
Minnesota did not make a 3-pointer until LaMelo Ball hit one with 9:02 left in the second quarter, and the Timberwolves finished 9-of-38 from three. Chicago shot 48.9% from the field and scored 54 points in the paint.
Chicago improved to 3-9 and has its first two-game winning streak of the season after opening 1-9. Friday’s 125-117 overtime win over Atlanta snapped an eight-game losing streak. Minnesota fell to 9-4.
Norman Powell scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, and Matas Buzelis had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Chicago’s bench outscored Minnesota’s 50-33, led by 16 points apiece from Buddy Hield and Tre Jones and 14 from Patrick Williams.
Ayo Dosunmu led Minnesota with 24 points, 14 of them in the third quarter. Ball finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 7-of-25 shooting and fouled out.
A nationwide ground stop on Friday pushed Chicago’s flight to the Twin Cities to Saturday morning, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported, and Bulls coach Tiago Splitter moved the team’s film session to the arena, according to On Tap Sports Net.
“You gotta bring the energy,” Splitter said before the game. “Your legs are going to be a little heavier than normal but just take it like another game.”
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said both ends of the floor bothered him, starting with the so-so 3-point attempts Minnesota settled for early.
“We weren’t really imposing ourselves offensively. You know, in defense, we could never contain the ball at the point of attack. It was just a problem all night,” Finch said.
“They snuck behind us for cheap rebounds or relocated when we were not paying attention to our guy, you know, off ball. So yeah, really, really unacceptable performance. This team has been really good,” Finch continued.
Chicago Bulls Build A 13-Point Halftime Lead
Minnesota scored the first four points, and Chicago went ahead to stay on an Isaac Okoro free throw at 9:01. Powell and Josh Giddey hit pull-up 3-pointers 28 seconds apart, and Buzelis added another out of a Minnesota timeout to finish a 9-0 run for a 16-6 lead. Jones scored Chicago’s last 5 points of the quarter, and the Bulls led 29-17 after one.
Buzelis scored 9 points in a span of 3:14 in the second quarter, and his driving layup made it 42-28 with 6:06 left. Powell scored on two drives in the final three minutes of the half, and Hield and Williams each hit a 3-pointer as Chicago took a 58-45 lead into halftime.
Ball described what was missing for a team that had been consistent all season.
“Probably just energy, energy hustle. I think they just hit first pretty much, and that was the game,” Ball said.
Whether that came from fatigue was the follow-up, and Ball’s answer went back to Chicago’s travel day.
“I think just not really just respecting the opponents. I feel like we heard their flight and their travel and everything. I think people kind of like took a little break back, but that’s when you really just supposed to hit. So I think, like I said, they just hit first,” Ball said.
Chicago scored 18 second-chance points. Offensive rebounds and cuts behind the defense after a secondary action were the breakdowns Finch singled out away from the ball.
“We got to go home at that point in time, and you got to find them because they’re always moving off the ball. Things that we’ve been pretty good at, but tonight there was just a lag time,” Finch said.
Minnesota Timberwolves Cut A 14-Point Lead To One
Powell scored 7 points in a span of 1:33 early in the third quarter to make it 65-51. Minnesota answered with 13 straight points. Jaden McDaniels opened the run with a 3-pointer, Dosunmu scored 6 points in it, and McDaniels’ turnaround bank shot with 6:01 left made it 65-64. Williams was called for a technical foul during the run.
Hield ended it with a 17-foot step-back jumper. After Dosunmu’s layup made it 69-66, the Bulls went on an 11-3 run that Hield capped with a 25-foot 3-pointer off a Buzelis pass, and Zach Collins scored on a tip-in at the horn for an 88-80 lead after three quarters.
Chicago committed 19 turnovers, including a team turnover, and Minnesota scored 21 points off them. The Timberwolves committed 15. Minnesota hosts Portland on Monday, and Finch’s message with one day in between started with getting back to what had worked.
“Yeah, I mean, we got to get back to doing, you know, obviously get back to the habits that make us successful. You know, I thought we didn’t play fast enough tonight. I thought our decision making was slow,” Finch said.
Finch also said Minnesota did not go to the offensive glass enough, did not execute its defensive plan, and had poor ball containment.
“So, you know, it’s one game. We’re disappointed. It’s not acceptable, but, you know, we got to get back to put it right, and, you know, be who we’ve been the rest of the season,” Finch said.
Bulls Answer LaMelo Ball’s Fourth-Quarter 3s With A 9-1 Run
Ball hit two 3-pointers in 39 seconds early in the fourth quarter, the second pulling Minnesota within 102-94 with 7:47 left. They were his third and fourth 3-pointers of the night. Chicago answered with a 9-1 run, and Leonard Miller’s two free throws made it 111-95 with 4:33 left, the Bulls’ largest lead.
The Timberwolves scored 11 of the next 13 points and cut it to 113-106 on a Terrence Shannon Jr. layup with 1:28 left. Out of a Chicago timeout, Jones found Williams for a 24-foot 3-pointer, and Powell’s free throw with 52 seconds left closed the scoring.
Ball finished 4-of-19 from three. Finch was asked whether he wants Ball to keep shooting on a night when the shot is not falling.
“Well, I mean, yeah, you want him to stay confident in his shot, but I do also think that there were plenty of opportunities to get to the paint, you know, not just for him, but for others too,” Finch said.
Rudy Gobert Goes 0-Of-7 As Minnesota’s Streak Ends
Rudy Gobert finished with 1 point and 10 rebounds and went 0-of-7 from the field. Finch was asked why Gobert’s effectiveness around the basket has dropped.
“He’s getting stripped. He’s missing layups. He’s not finishing strong. You know, he’s got to get on balance, collect, and finish strong,” Finch said.
“And it’s gonna sometimes be through contact. But, you know, we need him to get his finishing back around the paint,” Finch continued.
McDaniels finished with 18 points and 6 assists, and Shannon scored 14 off the bench.
What’s Next For The Bulls And Timberwolves
Chicago played without Caleb Wilson (right metacarpal fracture), Nic Claxton (left hamstring injury management), Jalen Smith (left finger sprain), and Tobe Awaka (disc irritation). Minnesota was without Anthony Edwards (right knee arthroscopy) and Donte DiVincenzo (right Achilles tendon repair). Jaylen Clark left after 3 minutes with right hamstring soreness.
The Bulls visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT. The Timberwolves host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at 7 p.m. CT.
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