Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns, Rose lead Wolves over Bulls

The Minnesota Timberwolves swept the season series with an easy 119-94 win over the Bulls at United Center in Chicago on Wednesday night.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are now only two games under the .500 mark with three to play in the 2018 calendar year.

The Wolves defeated the Chicago Bulls for the second time in just over a month with a 119-94 win on Wednesday at United Center, riding a 20-20 game from Karl-Anthony Towns and a team-leading 24 points from former Bulls star Derrick Rose.

The game was never close, with the Wolves outscoring the Bulls by 11 in the first quarter and 12 in the second, taking a dominant 60-37 lead into halftime. Chicago had a good third quarter to at least force the Wolves to play their starters a bit in the final frame, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Without Jeff Teague again due to an ankle injury, Rose played through his own ankle ailment to join the starting lineup. The former MVP played 38 minutes in the win as he stayed on the court and played some two-guard while Tyus Jones (21 minutes) led the second unit.

The Wolves wore their Earned edition uniforms, which are more or less the inverse of the original City edition “Purple Reign” duds.

Minnesota’s offense was extremely Rose-reliant in this one as he hoisted up 19 shots with Andrew Wiggins (15 shots), Towns (13), and Covington (13) all lagging behind. But Rose was efficient, and there were more than enough emotional moments for the ex-Bull in what was ultimately a successful return to United Center.

Highlights of the Night

Player of the Game

Derrick Rose: 24 points (11-19 FG, 1-5 3P, 1-1 FT), 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

Rose was great throughout. Although he only made one of five 3-point attempts and shot just one free throw on the night, he dished out eight assists to only two turnovers in 38 minutes and played well both on and off the ball.

Other Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 points (8-13 FG, 2-2 3P, 2-3 FT), 20 rebounds, 4 assists
• Taj Gibson: 14 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3P, 3-3 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Robert Covington: 8 points (3-13 FG, 1-8 3P, 1-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, one block
• Andrew Wiggins: 14 points (5-15 FG, 2-6 3P, 2-3 FT), 3 rebounds, one assist
• Tyus Jones: 13 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3P, 3-3 FT), 5 assists, one steal, one rebound
• Dario Saric: 12 points (4-9 FG, 2-4 3P, 2-2 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Towns was equally as important as Rose in this one as he notched his second game in as many tries against the Bulls with 20 or more rebounds. He was efficient, scoring 20 points on 13 shot attempts despite only attempting three free throws.

The power forward combo was once again fantastic, with Gibson and Saric combining to score 26 points on 18 shots, grab five rebounds and dish out five assists.

Covington had his second rough shooting night against Chicago in the last month but contributed plenty in other areas.

What’s Next?

The Wolves return home to face another team with just nine wins as the Atlanta Hawks visit Target Center on Friday at 7 p.m.