Chicago Bulls in impressive win over Minnesota Timberwolves – NBA Recap
The Chicago Bulls put in an exemplary shift to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bulls, who topped the league last season, were always the favourites against Minnesota, who finished at the bottom, heading into the game. The Timberwolves might have ruffled some feathers with their improved display but it was still not enough to outshine an impressive Chicago side.
Super star point guard and reigning NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, hauled Chicago forward with 31 points and 11 assists in a superb display. Forward Luol Deng also found his groove, notching up a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer, meanwhile, continued his good run of form with 17 points.
Talismanic star Kevin Love was the main man for Minnesota on the night. He recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds, although his shooting left much to be desired at 5-of-18. Luke Ridnour turned in a better than expected performance, notching up 22 points as a starting point guard. Rookie sensation Ricky Rubio came off the bench for Minnesota for a double-double effort; 13 points and 12 assists while Anthony Randolph had 18 points.
After an even first 6 minutes or so, the Chicago Bulls exploded with a 16 – 0 rampage that pretty much set them up for the rest of the game. A shell shocked Timberwolves side simply didn’t have enough time to respond in the quarter which finished at 33 – 17 in favour of Chicago.
The Timberwolves though did show some mettle in the second quarter, refusing to be overawed by their opponents and taking the game to Chicago. In a period that saw Minnesota outscore Chicago 30-to-20, the Timberwolves finished on 15 – 0 run; going into the break down at 53 – 47.
Their scintillating run to end the first half certainly gave Minnesota a lot of confidence and it showed when they came out of the interval with a spring in their step. The Timberwolves were on the front foot again and a Kevin Love jump shot got them to within 1 point of Chicago with 6:01 left to play. The Bulls responded with a 7 – 0 burst that increased the gap to 8 points and gave them some breathing space.
Minnesota would then go on an 8 – 0 streak to level the scores 70 – 70, just 3:46 left on the clock. That though was as good as it got for the Timberwolves as Chicago managed to squeak in some points before the quarter ended, going into the final period up at 79 – 74.
Chicago shifted to a higher gear in the last quarter, obviously rattled by Minnesota’s fight back. They didn’t give the Timberwolves another chance at making a game of it and continued on the offensive throughout the final segment to walk away with the 111 – 100 win.
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