|
 "Four-to-six weeks, if that's as long as he misses, I think we
can handle that," Butler said. "It's better than all year."
Butler's optimism showed in the form of an extra burst Friday night.
He scored 28 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 96-89
win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Forward Mike Dunleavy added 21 points for Chicago, which earned its
seventh win in the past nine games. Forward Tony Snell contributed
12 points off the bench for the Bulls (37-22).
Guard Kevin Martin led Minnesota with 18 points. Guard Ricky Rubio
added 15 points and 10 assists for the Timberwolves (13-44).
Dunleavy said the win proved once again that the Bulls could win in
a variety of ways. In addition to missing Rose, Chicago played
without forward Pau Gasol because of an illness and lost forward Taj
Gibson in the first quarter because of an ankle injury.
Minus two key big men, the Bulls hit nine 3-pointers and moved
center Joakim Noah to the top of the key for much of the game in a
point-center role. Noah responded with several perfectly placed
alley-oop passes, including one to Butler for an easy layup.
 Meanwhile, Dunleavy shot 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point line.
"We played a little bit different tonight, spacing the floor out
because of the loss of some of the big guys," Dunleavy said. "I felt
we had a lot more 3-point opportunities, and we just stepped up and
knocked some down."
For the Timberwolves, the game represented another learning
experience.
Minnesota grabbed an 85-84 lead with 5:09 remaining in the fourth
quarter on a jump shot by forward Andrew Wiggins, but the
Timberwolves could not hang on to the lead. The Bulls finished on a
12-4 run to hand Minnesota its 23rd loss in 28 road games.
Rubio said the Timberwolves needed more experience in order to close
out games.
"Chicago has been together for six, seven years," Rubio said. "We
just have to get that experience. I hope next year and in a couple
more years, we can close out these games and win a tough game like
that on the road."
Minnesota shot 42.9 percent (33 of 77) from the field. The
Timberwolves, who rested recently acquired forward Kevin Garnett,
were outscored 48-16 in the paint.
A strong finish to the third quarter gave the Bulls a 73-67 lead
entering the final 12 minutes. Martin kept his team within range by
shooting 4-for-7 in the third quarter, including a pair of jump
shots that sparked a 9-1 run to start the second half.
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Miscommunication curtailed some of Minnesota's offensive success,
coach Flip Saunders said.
"We didn't have an opportunity to run comfortable sets," Saunders
said. "We had sets that we drew up and had guys out of position. I
thought we played hard defensively. For the Bulls, they have
All-Stars who performed down the stretch."
Chicago established a 51-44 lead at halftime after closing the
second quarter on a 17-7 run. Timberwolves guard Gary Neal drove to
the rim for a layup and a free throw to give Minnesota its first
lead at 35-34 with 6:29 remaining in the second quarter, but the
Bulls regained the lead on the first of three 3-pointers by Dunleavy
in a 2:21 span.
The Bulls led 27-23 at the end of the first quarter despite the loss
of Gibson, who injured his left ankle late in the first quarter and
did not return. He was unable to put weight on the ankle after the
game as he hopped across the locker room.
"It's an ankle sprain," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We will
have to see tomorrow what it looks like. It is the same one that was
giving him trouble before."
NOTES: Bulls G Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery Friday
morning to remove the damaged part of the meniscus in his right
knee, the team announced. Rose is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, which
would put him on track to return for the final few games of the
regular season. ... Timberwolves F Kevin Garnett (rest) did not play
on the front end of a back-to-back set. Garnett, 38, is expected to
play Saturday against Memphis. ... Bulls F Pau Gasol missed the game
because of an illness. Gasol, 34, leads the NBA with 37
double-doubles this season. ... Timberwolves F Anthony Bennett
missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle.
... Bulls G Aaron Brooks started his second game in a row in Rose's
absence.
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