DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and dished out eight assists and the Chicago Bulls held on for a 109-101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.
Alex Caruso added 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range for Chicago (36-39). Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Anthony Edwards scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota (51-23). Rudy Gobert also registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
Chicago shot 52.5 percent (42 of 80) from the field and 58.6 percent (17 of 29) from deep. Minnesota shot 47.5 percent (38 of 80) overall and 29.7 percent (11 of 37) from beyond the arc.
Chicago went on a 10-0 run to grab a 106-99 lead with 2:03 remaining.
DeRozan made a 2-point basket and a 3-pointer to start the run. Caruso added a 3-pointer, and Coby White finished the outburst with a driving layup.
The Timberwolves trailed by as many as seven points earlier in the fourth quarter but rallied to grab a 98-96 lead on a three-point play by Gobert with 5:21 to go.
The Bulls held on to an 84-79 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Minnesota scored the final four points of the third quarter to pull within five. Edwards and Monte Morris made two free throws apiece, and the Timberwolves held the Bulls scoreless for the final 3:36 of the quarter.
Chicago led 64-54 at the half.
The Bulls jumped out to a 33-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. Andre Drummond put Chicago on top by 11 points with a layup at the buzzer.
The Timberwolves outscored the Bulls 32-31 in the second quarter to pull within 10 points at the break.
Chicago led by as many as 16 points in the first half. Vucevic hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Ayo Dosunmu to make it 52-36 with 6:02 remaining.
The Timberwolves scored 18 of the final 30 points before halftime. Morris made a 3-pointer with 32.7 seconds left to finish the first-half scoring.
–Field Level Media