Chicago Bulls defeat Minnesota Timberwolves 108-91: NBA Recap
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-91 at Target Centre on Wednesday night. The defeat extended Minnesota's losing streak to eight games.
The Bulls bounced back from a 97-85 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at United Centre, and managed to maintain their top position in the Eastern Conference standings before the play-off battle.
Forward Carlos Boozer was a different player in the absence of starting-centre Joakim Noah, who missed the game with an ankle injury which he suffered in Monday’s game. Boozer got more chances at the offensive end and his team-mates provided him with every available shot. The 29-year-old Boozer added a game-high 24 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in the victory.
Derrick Rose chipped in with 23 points, 10 assists and four rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight of their last 10 games. The performance marked Rose' third double-double in his last five games.
Luol Deng had 13 points, five assists and five rebounds while C.J. Watson also came off the bench with 13 points for Chicago, who have won 15 of their last 19 games.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, were led by forward-centre Kevin Love who returned from a groin injury. Love scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the defeat.
Anthony Randolph posted 15 points and five rebounds, while Anthony Tolliver tallied 14 points for the Wolves, who have lost eight of their last 10 games. Michael Beasley scored 12 points and Luke Ridnour ended with 11 points for Minnesota.
Match Analysis
The Bulls took to the court looking to bounce back from the loss to Philadelphia in their last game. They looked good as a team and managed to create 31 assists on 41 baskets.
Wolves guard Wayne Ellington said that Chicago's win was the result of a combined team effort. He said, "That's a team right there. The guys play together, man. All the way around. They play together, communicate. They do it the right way. That is something we have got to work toward."
The Bulls played the opening quarter with full focus and intensity, taking a 30-19 lead into the second. With the crowd chanting "MVP! MVP!” Rose was absolutely blazing hot, as he scored 13 of his 23 points in the first.
Chicago continued to play offensively, shot 61.1 percent from the field in the second quarter and extended their lead to 57-44 at half time. The Bulls led by as many as 20 points with two minutes to go in the third quarter and carried an 86-66 advantage into the final stanza.
The woeful Wolves did not get any closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls held on for an easy win.
Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau praised the way his team played on the night. He said, "I thought our shoot around was intense, I thought it was serious. I thought our locker room was serious, and I thought the start of our start of the game was serious. ... We established a defensive mindset, a defensive game plan, and I think that got us going."
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