Thursday night’s matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves will feature two teams among the NBA’s top five in average 3-point attempts per game.
In Minnesota’s 114-93 home victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, the top eight players in the Timberwolves’ rotation played between 21 and 30 minutes. This rotation pattern, partly due to inconsistency with the starting five, is becoming a luxury for the Timberwolves.
A 13-2 run early in the second quarter allowed Minnesota to create enough distance to facilitate home debuts for first-round draft picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. in the fourth quarter. Naz Reid nearly achieved a double-double, leading Minnesota with 25 points and nine rebounds. Sparked by Reid’s 5-for-7 effort from beyond the arc, the Timberwolves shot 18-for-38 from long range. Anthony Edwards added 21 points, connecting on four triples.
Chicago has lost three straight games after starting the season with three wins in five games. The Bulls are coming off a 119-99 road loss to the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
The Timberwolves might be the remedy the Bulls need. Chicago has won seven of its last 10 games against Minnesota, averaging 125.4 points in the past five contests. The Bulls enter Thursday’s game with a three-game winning streak against Minnesota and boast five straight victories at the United Center.
Bulls leading scorer Zach LaVine missed the game against Dallas, his second in a row, due to a right adductor strain. Chicago committed 23 turnovers, leading to 28 points for the Mavericks. Nikola Vucevic recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds, achieving his seventh double-double in eight games. Rookie Matas Buzelis set career highs with 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 30 points late in the fourth quarter. Reserve guard Lonzo Ball remains sidelined with a sprained right wrist. Chicago was set to re-evaluate Ball on Thursday, but coach Billy Donovan stated there is no timetable for his return, as Ball remains in a splint. Donovan noted that the Bulls “dodged a bullet” with the injury.
