Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for Minnesota, which had lost two in a row. Chicago was outscored 9-0 in OT while suffering through a 1-for-20 shooting freeze that began midway through the fourth quarter. The Bulls shot 0-for-9 during the extra session, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.
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The Bulls committed a season-low six turnovers in Thursday’s victory over Oklahoma City; Chicago has now won its last six, and 10 of its last 11, games when it has fewer than 10 turnovers.
“I wish I knew why that happens”, Hoiberg said. “They just chose to fall tonight”.
The Bulls shot 35.5 percent (33 for 93) from the field and were outrebounded 58-50 by the Timberwolves.
“This is a tough team”, Mitchell said, referring to the Bulls. “Our rebounding has concerned us all year, and today (we had) offensive rebound after offensive rebound. Playing the Bulls is a load, and I’m proud of our young team”.
“Coach is doing a good job of putting us in different groups and lineups”, Rose said. “We’ll get exhausted of getting our butt whupped one day”, Rose said. It’s all about bringing out that championship caliber effort every night. “We’ve got to stay more consistent”. The Chicago Bulls are averaging 100 points on 43.2 percent shooting and allowing 101.4 points on 42.2 percent shooting. Jimmy Butler is averaging 20.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while Pau Gasol is averaging 13.6 points and nine rebounds.
But Wiggins finished off a nifty spin move with an emphatic dunk to tie the score again. Forward Tony Snell scored 14 points off the bench for Chicago (4-3).
Wiggins said he quickly erased the memory of his airball.
“I don’t understand how we play with as much energy as we did the other night”, Hoiberg said, “and then show up the next night just expecting to win the game”. “You can’t be thinking about that shot”. Rose opened the fourth with a 3-pointer from the left corner on a dish by Butler.
Minnesota led 58-57 at halftime behind 22 points from Wiggins. “This team is a lot better than previous year”. It got a bit cheap early in the third quarter when Kevin Garnett drew a technical foul for an elbow on Doug McDermott. The Bulls trailed by as many as seven points before responding with a 9-0 run. While the organization searched for answers, one thing was clear walking out of the Bulls’ quiet locker room after the game with the Wolves: Just two weeks into the long grind of the National Basketball Association season, the Bulls have to make a decision as to which way they want their season to go.
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“This is a great win on the road with a young team”, Minnesota forward Tayshaun Prince said. “This is the worst you’ll see us play and hopefully in a couple days you’ll see the difference”. The win came at a critical time for Minnesota, especially after losing back-to-back games at home.
