LDN - Sports

T-Wolves cruise past Bulls

[February 13, 2017] MINNEAPOLIS -- Facing another shorthanded team, the Minnesota Timberwolves again raced out to a big first-quarter lead.

This time, however, Minnesota held the advantage as the Chicago Bulls were without Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.

Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 as the Timberwolves cruised to a 117-89 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

"I thought the start was important," said Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau, who is 2-0 this season against his former team. "We've been starting well, but then we have the lull. This game, we sustained our effort better. So it was good."

The Timberwolves faced New Orleans on Friday, with the Pelicans limited to nine players. New Orleans still had star center Anthony Davis, though, and he had 42 points to lead the Pelicans to a win after Minnesota led 40-28 after one period.

Chicago wouldn't have the same horsepower without Butler and Wade, as well as backups Nikola Mirotic and Paul Zipser. The Timberwolves took advantage to post their second-largest win of the season. Ricky Rubio added 17 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for Minnesota (21-34), which had lost five of its previous six games.

"In this league, you can't relax," Rubio said. "If you're on the team, you can do a lot of things. When one or two guys go down, sometimes the team plays even better because other guys want to step up. We have to be ready for that."

Doug McDermott started in place of Butler and had 16 points for the Bulls (26-29), who lost their third straight game. Michael Carter-Williams had 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds and six assists in a spot start for Wade. Bobby Portis had 16 points and six rebounds off the bench.

"I thought we had stretches," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I thought we had some fight. Obviously we're outmanned, there's no doubt about that. But next guy's got to be ready to step up give great energy. That's what it takes."

Minus their two stars and at the end of a six-game road trip, the Bulls were flat as Minnesota charged out of the gates. The Timberwolves started the game with a 19-5 advantage that grew to a 19-point lead in the first quarter as they shot 63.6 percent from the field and Chicago had six turnovers in the opening period.

Wiggins, who likely would have been matched up with Butler, was aggressive early. He scored 14 points in the first quarter.

"Whoever's guarding me, you've got to find an advantage," Wiggins said. "You've got to find their weakness and go at them that way."

Without their two top scorers, the Bulls had trouble finding a go-to player on the offensive end and shot 7 of 21 in the first. The lead ballooned to 26 in the second before Chicago finished the half on a 13-6 run.

The Bulls managed to chip away at the lead in the third quarter as they hit their first five 3-pointers, including three by McDermott. Carter-Williams hit a 3 to end a 21-9 run as Chicago got within 13 points at 75-62.

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Bulls guard Jerian Grant (2) blocks Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota countered with a 9-1 run of its own and never looked back.

"Nobody's going to feel sorry for you," said Bulls forward Taj Gibson, who entered the game as the team's third-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game and was limited to two points on Sunday. "It's going to take the people in the locker room. Me, myself, I have to do a lot better. It's going to take everybody. We just got to round up the cattle and be ready to move out again."

Thibodeau downplayed the matchup with the Bulls, but Gibson noted how his former coach likely wanted to beat Chicago.

"Oh, without a doubt," Gibson said. "I know him too well. When most people think it's not a big deal, it's a big deal to him. You see him coaching the whole game. He even left some of the guys in late. I can see his hand shaking from over there on our end. I know he really wanted to win that game."

Butler missed his third game in four contests because of a heel injury, and Wade injured his wrist in a fall during Friday's game. Hoiberg hoped some rest would leave Butler with the opportunity to play at home Tuesday against Toronto.

"Hopefully we'll get some bodies back," Hoiberg said. "First game back is always a difficult one from a long road trip. But we got to find a way to man up and get some energy, and hopefully get off to better starts than we've gotten, especially these last two games."

NOTES: Chicago is 0-3 this season without G Jimmy Butler and G Dwyane Wade in the lineup. ... Bulls F Paul Zipser, who has an ankle injury, was also held out Sunday because of an illness. F Nikola Mirotic woke up Sunday with back spasms. ... Minnesota had its first sellout of the season for the Sunday matinee. There was even a "Let's Go Bulls" chant midway through the third as Chicago went on a run. ... The Timberwolves have recorded 20-plus assists in 25 straight games, the team's longest streak since going 28 in a row in the 1992-93 season. ... Minnesota F Andrew Wiggins has scored 20-plus points in 13 straight games, the longest streak of his career and the team's longest since Kevin Love had 14 in a row in March 2014. ... The Wolves wrap up their homestand by hosting Cleveland on Tuesday. The Bulls return home on Tuesday against Toronto.

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