MINNEAPOLIS _ Winning streaks have not been a common occurrence for these Timberwolves this season, whether you're talking about the group that was here pre-trade deadline or the one after.
The Wolves defeated the Bulls, 115-108, at Target Center on Wednesday night and compiled consecutive victories for the first time in nearly two months.
It speaks how difficult this season has been to watch at times, but it's nonetheless significant for this current team, which has endured its share of losses as it gets used to playing with each other. The Wolves have now won three of their last five as Malik Beasley was once again effective from the outside with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting. D'Angelo Russell pitched in with 19 while rookie center Naz Reid notched his second career double-double in as many nights with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Wolves hit 19 of 43 3-pointers (44%).
Chicago rookie Coby White had 26 points and six assists as the Bulls played without former Wolves guard Zach LaVine. Shaquille Harrison added 17.
It wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing basketball in the opening minutes. The teams started a combined 1 for 9 with three turnovers and the Wolves didn't score until 3 minutes, 29 seconds had passed when Beasley converted a layup. The difference was the Bulls snapped out of their early funk, while the Wolves didn't. An 8-0 run that featured five points from White, who the Wolves passed on to take Jarrett Culver in June's draft, opened the Bulls' lead to 10. It would reach 13 following a White layup as the Wolves struggled to hang on to the ball. Their six turnovers turned into eight Chicago points.
The Wolves also struggled with the freebies, going just 1 of 6 from the free-throw line in the quarter. They had some life at the end of the quarter as Reid and Russell hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions but they still trailed the Bulls 29-22 headed into the second.
The Wolves would tighten the score in the second quarter as their shooting picked up a bit. Kelan Martin, Culver and Russell all hit 3s on the Wolves' first three possessions and they knotted the score 31-31. Jordan McLaughlin injected some much-needed life into a sleepy Target Center by picking up steals on consecutive possessions and capping the second off with a pretty alley-oop to James Johnson.
The Bulls were able to push their lead back to 52-45 before Russell hit a 3 and found a cutting Beasley for a layup to cut it back to one, and the Wolves trailed 58-55 at the half. Russell and White were the only ones in double figures at halftime, each with 11.
The Wolves grabbed control of the lead early in the third quarter, as they started the second half the way they started the second quarter, by hitting 3s. Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Josh Okogie got things started with Beasley adding another to push the Wolves lead to 67-61.
The Wolves went on another 8-0 run later in the quarter that put them ahead 88-77, their largest lead of the night at that point, and they held a nine-point edge headed into the fourth. White was able to keep the Bulls afloat despite being without LaVine. White's quickness combined with his shooting ability made him a tough matchup defensive for the Wolves. He also caused some turnovers on defense. Culver, however, was determined not to look like the wrong choice in the draft when playing against White. Culver finished with 13 points and his 3-pointer with 8:59 to play gave the Wolves an 11-point lead again.
Despite White's best efforts, the Wolves stayed in control most of the fourth, with a Russell 3 putting the Wolves up 113-99. There were a few hairy moments of ball control that almost let Chicago back in it, but the Wolves were able to stave off an embarrassment. What would a Wolves victory be without a little bit of drama?
