The Minnesota Timberwolves broke a four-game losing streak against the Chicago Bulls Dec. 13, with a 99-94 comeback victory.
Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 24 points (10-of-18 shooting) with six rebounds and six assists, while Andrew Wiggins made eight of his 17 shots to score 23 points in the contest.
Chicago led the Wolves 38-22 after the first quarter, but Minnesota fired back to outscore Chicago 77-56 the rest of the way to pick up the victory. The Wolves came back from down 21 points, the biggest comeback in the NBA this season, to earn the victory.
The victory also gave Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau a win in his first game back in Chicago since he was let go as the Bulls’ head coach following the 2014-15 season.
Down 56-52 at halftime, Karl-Anthony Towns told the team and Thibodeau that he was focused on picking up the win for the Wolves’ head coach.
Towns had an off night, as he connected on only six of 21 shots for 16 points, but Towns’ defense (12 rebounds, three blocks, one steal) made a difference when the Wolves’ comeback was in full force.
The game was tied at 91 with 1:19 left in the game when Wiggins hit a 22-foot jumper to give the Wolves a lead they never relinquished. The Wolves’ winning cause was helped when Chicago’s Dwayne Wade was ejected after being issued a double-technical foul after his shot was blocked by LaVine.
Ricky Rubio hit the two technical free throws and LaVine hit two free throws after being intentionally fouled to seal the Wolves’ win.
Other notes
The Wolves are now 7-18 and, after a trend of second half collapses to start the season, this win might give them the confidence they needed to stay composed late in games.
With a decent chunk of the season left, Minnesota has plenty of time to fight toward a playoff spot.
Rubio, who hit two technical free throws late to seal the win, had a good night from the field, as he collected 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting. He added 10 assists to post his second double-double of the season.
Wiggins grabbed nine rebounds in the contest, his second-highest mark this season. he appears to have re-found his form after a short shooting slump. He has averaged 20 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field in his last five games.
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