Despite leading for most of the night, the Chicago Bulls couldn’t hold off a thunderous performance down the stretch from Anthony Edwards on Thursday in a 135-119 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the United Center.
The Bulls were playing without Zach LaVine (right adductor strain) and Lonzo Ball (sprained right wrist), who remain sidelined indefinitely. Nikola Vučević led the Bulls again with 25 points and Coby White added 24, but neither effort was enough to hold off a turbocharged Timberwolves offense.
It was the fourth consecutive defeat for the Bulls, who fell to 3-6.
Here are seven takeaways from the loss.
1. Strong start reflected need for better first quarters
The Bulls won their first opening quarter of the season, outscoring the Timberwolves 34-28. The quick start paved the way for the Bulls to build their lead to 13 points, spending most of the game in the advantage — which was a new experience for them.
After trailing for the majority of their games this season, Thursday’s first half highlighted how the Bulls can thrive when they are holding a lead rather than chasing it. The first quarter encapsulated how the Bulls hope to play: 13 assists on 14 baskets, 6-for-8 shooting from behind the arc and only two turnovers. They still didn’t offer much defensive opposition, but their ability to cleanly execute on offense kept the Timberwolves on their back foot.
2. Anthony Edwards played a big part in Bulls’ fourth-quarter collapse
Two things happened in the fourth quarter: The Bulls imploded on offense and the Timberwolves exploded on the other end.
After shooting 36-for-65 (55.4%) from the floor for a 95-90 lead through three quarters, the Bulls lost their 3-point touch in the fourth, making only one basket while the Timberwolves ripped off six 3s. Edwards supplied three of them, scoring 13 of his 33 points in the final 12 minutes.
The Bulls had no answer for Edwards once he went into kill mode, making all five of his shots. The Timberwolves shot 70% in the fourth quarter, giving the Bulls no room to breathe.
After a Talen Horton-Tucker 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 106-101 lead with 9 minutes, 6 seconds to play, the Timberwolves went on a 12-0 run to pull ahead. They outscored the Bulls 45-24 in the final frame.
3. Nikola Vučević anchored the battle of big men
Even with Vučević leading the team in scoring, the Bulls don’t always get into big-man battles — and they were visibly underequipped to match up against the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle.
The Bulls struggled mightily whenever Vučević was on the bench. Coach Billy Donovan could not afford to rest Vučević if Gobert was on the court, with both Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams struggling to keep up with the center in the paint. Vučević carried the Bulls for three quarters but went scoreless in the fourth as Gobert ripped off 11 of his 21 points in the frame to complement Edwards.
4. Coby White kept up his high volume of shots
With LaVine sidelined for a third straight game, the Bulls looked to White once again to provide scoring punch alongside Vučević. White finished with 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-9 on 3-pointers.
White set a goal at the start of the season to shoot above 40% from 3-point range. This would place him among the elite long-range snipers in the league — only 40 players achieved that level of efficiency last season. White is shooting 32-for-81 (39.5%) from 3-point range.
5. Ayo Dosunmu’s shot continued to falter
Last season, Dosunmu was one of those rare players to shoot over 40% from 3-point range — his 40.3 percentage was second-best on the Bulls in the category. And this season, he has been one of their most consistent players, both as the first man off the bench and as a stopgap starter in place of LaVine.
But one area of Dosunmu’s game has faltered — his 3-point shot.
Dosunmu was 7-for-40 (17.5%) from distance through eight games. He went 1-for-3 Thursday, a lower volume of attempts than usual that indicated a slight hesitancy could be growing.
6. Matas Buzelis saw another extended run
After playing a season-high 22 minutes, 51 seconds Wednesday night against the Mavericks in Dallas, Buzelis saw another longer rotation against the Timberwolves, logging 16:50.
The extended playing time for Buzelis showed several weaknesses that are to be expected from any rookie. He turned over the ball in the third quarter after attempting to dribble between his legs to escape the defense of Edwards.
His long-range shooting is a particular weak spot — after making his first two NBA 3-pointers Wednesday, Buzelis went 0-for-2 from behind the arc against the Timberwolves. He finished with two points on 1-for-3 shooting and had three rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two turnovers.
7. Dalen Terry left it all — including his shoe — on the court
With Dosunmu stepping into the starting lineup, Terry has continued to provide one of the most important boosts off the bench for the Bulls. While his six points on 3-for-4 shooting reflected a relatively low volume of points — 36 — from the bench, Terry is developing into a defensive stopper who can also help the undersized Bulls secure the glass.
Terry played out of his own sneaker in the third quarter while lunging to secure an offensive rebound that eventually led to a Dosunmu basket, playing the ensuing possession with his shoe in his hand.
