Chicago Bulls beat Minnesota Timberwolves 133-116 in the NBA on Friday night. We had backed the visitors at 55 per cent confidence and were wrong. The game was decided in the paint and on the boards, not at the charity stripe where Minnesota tried to stay alive.
The Bulls led by as many as 21 points. The Wolves never got closer than four after that. Chicago's 47 field goals from 94 attempts outpaced Minnesota's 35 from 82, and the difference came inside. Bulls scored 72 points in the paint to the visitors' 50.
Rebounding told the same story. Chicago pulled down 53 boards compared with Minnesota's 37, including 17 offensive rebounds that produced 25 second-chance points. The Wolves managed just 10 from 11 offensive boards. And here's the thing — you cannot win a shooting war when your opponent controls the glass like that.
Chicago also distributed better, recording 31 assists to Minnesota's 20. The home side converted 11 three-pointers from 35 attempts, while the visitors made 9 from 33. Fast break points went 8-0 to the Bulls, and they scored 23 points off turnovers against Minnesota's 20.
It was a blunt affair for the visitors despite their record. Minnesota sit sixth with 49 wins and 33 losses, having won four of their last five. Chicago are twelfth with 31 wins and 51 defeats, but they certainly did not play like a team that needs to save itself.
The result does not shift the standings dramatically. The Bulls remain eight games behind the sixth-place Wolves, and another loss keeps them out of playoff contention for now. By then, the gap may look wider if this form does not change.
