Bulls hold off pesky Timberwolves
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Jan 2012
WHEN the Bulls raced to a 51-27 lead with only 5:21 left in the second quarter of their game against the Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minnesota last night , it seemed like their second straight win was a wrap.
But something scary happened on the way to the Bulls' 9th win in 11 games. Thanks to a cluster of timely 3-point shots and the prolific play of guards Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour, the Timberwolves clawed back to tie things up at 70-70 at the 3:46 mark of the 3rd quarter.
That's when the Bulls found an unliikely savior in Ronnie Brewer, who rattled five straight points to give Chicago some breathing room with a 75-70 cushion. Playing for the injured Rip Hamilton (groin strain), the 6-foot-7, 227-pound Brewer made the most of his extended minutes and scored 17 on 5-of-10 shooting. A 5-yera pro, Brewer also had four rebounds and three assists.
Luol Deng also played a pivotal role in keeping the Bulls above water in the midst of the Wolves' fiery rally. Deng, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, drilled a short jumper and a 3 to keep Minnesota at bay 70-62 with still over four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Wolves would keep knocking on the door from that point on, and when Kevin Love made a pair of free throws in the final 1:33 of play, Minnesota had crept dangerously close to within 100-106.
And that's when MVP Derrick Rose put an end to all the drama. Rose, who had 14 of his game-high 31 points in the closing period, calmly drained a back-breaking 3 that put Chicago beyond reach, 109-100 with just 71 seconds remaining.
Despite an arid spell late in the second quarter, the Bulls shot 43-of-81 from the field (53.1 percent) and 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. They also dominated the boards 47-30 and gathered 24 assists against the Wolves' 18. The Bulls, unfortunately, did have 18 turnovers, which allowed the Wolves to mount repeated comebacks.
Ridnour led Minnesota with 22 while big man Kevin Love tallied 22 points and 13 rebounds. But the Wolves struggled from the field, making just 33 of their 78 shots, including 8-of-22 from 3-point territory. The 3-7 Wolves also missed 6 free throws.
The Bulls wrap up their three games in three nights extravaganza with a date against the 1-8 Washington Wizards Wednesday night at the United Center.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
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