If the Chicago Bulls had tired legs after last night’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, they didn’t show it.
The team’s new identity was on full display to start this one. Threes were flying through the air, the ball was popping side to side, and players were hustling in transition. The only problem was that Minnesota looked almost as comfortable. The two squads combined for a 10-11 start from behind the arc, going bucket-for-bucket throughout most of the first quarter.
Nikola Vucevic was also a key part of arguably the Bulls’ best start of the season. He scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting during his first 7 minutes of action. This included a ball fake on Rudy Gobert that had him on skates.
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The Bulls would take a slim 34-28 lead into the second quarter, marking the first time they won the opening frame all season long. Yes, you read that right. The momentum carried into the next 12 minutes, which started with a 9-3 run for the Bulls. Their bench did a nice job of keeping the energy high and making the Timberwolves run the floor.
Three straight careless turnovers by the Bulls did help the Timberwolves bring the game within 6 points midway through the quarter. But the Bulls were able to mix in a few trips to the free throw line with a couple more threes to extend their lead to 65-56 by halftime. All things considered, it was one of the team’s most complete halves of the season. They shot 60.0 percent from the field and assisted on 20 of their 24 made field goals.
All game I was waiting for the fatigue to set in or for the Bulls’ defense to collapse. However, I remained pleasantly surprised with this group’s stamina and defensive effort … until the final 5 minutes.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the superior basketball team, and they reminded everyone of that the moment the game was truly on the line. They dominated Chicago in the final frame, outscoring them a staggering 45-24. Anthony Edwards (as he tends to do) really broke things open when he nailed back-to-back threes with 6:00 minutes to go. The T-Wolves may have only been up 113-106, but the writing was on the wall. Rudy Gobert and Edwards weren’t locked in and not going to lose.
Compared to the other losses we’ve seen this season, I can stomach this one rather easily. Again, I really respected the way Chicago played on the backend of a back-to-back. They flushed an ugly, low-energy loss and made one of the West’s best work for a W. The score doesn’t reflect how close this one actually was. I’m not normally a small victories kind of guy, but I think we’re allowed to take some in a season like this.
Players Grades
Nikola Vucevic – A (Ankin Law: “Making it Personal” Player of the Game)
Stats: 25 PTS (11-15 FG), 5 REB, 2 AST
Once again, Nikola Vucevic did everything he could to make this a competitive game. He had one of the toughest matchups of the night with Rudy Gobert, but he got the best of the 4x DPOY throughout most of the game with his 11-15 shooting display. If this is the version of Vucevic that sticks around, it may not be long before other teams come calling.
Coby White – B+
Stats: 24 PTS (9-15 FG), 8 AST
Coby White did a really nice job creating for himself off the dribble tonight. When the wheels looked like they were about to fall off (before, ya know, they actually did), White was the one to make a big bucket and keep Chicago alive. It’s great to see how comfortable he is in those spots.
Ayo Dosunmu – B-
Stats: 13 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Ayo Dosunmu looked like he wanted to avenge his worst performance of the season. After shooting 2-10 from downtown against Dallas, he came out and hunted high-percentage shots at the rim. He was a big reason why the Bulls’ offense had an extra pep in their step tonight.
Josh Giddey – C+
Stats: 9 PTS, 13 AST, 6 REB
Josh Giddey went just 3-12 from the field tonight, struggling to finish over the length of this Timberwolves team. Nevertheless, his playmaking helped this offense look very crisp for most of the game. Chicago doesn’t shoot 53.4 percent from the field tonight without him.
Patrick Williams – C-
Stats: 12 PTS (4-9 FG), 3 STL
Patrick Williams played with some good energy in the first half tonight, but zero rebounds? Are you serious?
Box Score
Check out the full box score here.