Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns dominates the Bulls

The Minnesota Timberwolves won their second straight game with a convincing 111-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls behind a monster game from Karl-Anthony Towns.

With a relatively easy win over the Chicago Bulls at Target Center on Saturday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves improved to 5-2 since jettisoning Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia two weeks ago.

Karl-Anthony Towns dominated proceedings with 35 points and 22 rebounds before fouling out in the waning minutes of a game that was close until early in the fourth quarter when Towns and his teammates finally pulled away from the listless Bulls.

Zach LaVine‘s fruitless return to Target Center resulted in the Bulls dropping to 5-15 on the season, despite LaVine’s team-leading 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting, plus eight rebounds and four assists.

The first quarter was sluggish, with the Bulls using a late run to take a 22-20 lead into the second frame. Towns was good in the early going of the game, but a horrible shooting night from beyond the arc by the Wolves, plus a hot first half from LaVine and a one-man show from the Bulls’ Jabari Parker in the second half kept Chicago within striking distance.

The Wolves suffered through a garish 0-of-12 night from Andrew Wiggins and a 1-of-18 shooting performance from Robert Covington, including 0-for-10 on 3-point attempts.

That meant that outside of Towns, Derrick Rose was left to carry the rest of the offensive load. Rose managed to score 22 points on 13 shots off the bench while also dishing out four assists. Dario Saric and Jeff Teague were the only other Timberwolves players in double figures, with Saric notching a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double off the bench in 25 minutes and playing crunch time minutes ahead of starter Taj Gibson.

This night was all about Towns, Rose, and Saric. And while the Wolves only had a trio of contributors in this one, the Bulls only had two in LaVine and Parker. As it turns out, three is greater than two, and the Wolves managed to expand their lead in the fourth quarter and hang on down the stretch.

Video of the Night

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 35 points (13-23 FG, 1-5 3P, 8-10 FT), 22 rebounds, 6 assists, one steal

Towns was a monster, managing to get a double-double in each half of the game.

There were some silly personal fouls again, which led to his eventual fouling out in 37 minutes with the game already in hand. But with Gorgui Dieng waiting at the scorers table late in the third quarter and Towns sitting on three personal fouls, he committed a silly foul and entered the fourth frame of what was a close game with four fouls.

We’re picking nits, of course; Towns was awesome. But especially now that KAT is the only All-Star on the team, he needs to start being smarter when it comes to committing fouls.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Derrick Rose: 22 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3P, 2-2 FT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, one block
• Dario Saric: 19 points (8-15 FG, 1-5 3P, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, one steal
• Jeff Teague: 18 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3P, 1-1 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds
• Robert Covington: 4 points (1-18 FG, 0-10 3P, 2-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, one assist, 35 minutes
• Andrew Wiggins: 0 points (0-12 FG, 0-4 3P), one rebound, one assist, 29 minutes

Rose and Saric were great, as mentioned. Teague finally started hitting some 3-pointers and floaters in the lane, which were the two types of shots he converted on with frequent success a year ago and will be important to the Wolves’ success this season.

The difference between Covington and Wiggins is clear in the above box score lines. It’s also why Wiggins continues to receive (deserved) criticism for his efforts outside of the scoring column. Covington had five more rebounds, three more steals, and three more blocks than Wiggins in only six more minutes.

There’s also a reason why Tom Thibodeau had Covington on the floor late in the fourth quarter and not Wiggins: defense.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves odd schedule continues. After another one-game “homestand”, the Wolves will go on yet another one-game road trip. Tip-off against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday night is at 6 p.m. CT.