This Sunday, the (11-17) Chicago Bulls will travel to Minneapolis, MN to take on the (14-15) Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff will be at 7:00 PM EST inside the Target Center. These two teams have not matched up this regular season, but I am still expecting a battle in this one!
The Chicago Bulls are coming into this matchup after falling to the New York Knicks, 114-91. They struggled on both ends of the court, as they couldn't make enough stops to stay competitive in that game. They will have to be more efficient in this game if they want to challenge the Timberwolves on the road.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are entering this one after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-110. They were great on the offensive end of the court, as they shot 49.4% from the field. They will have to stay aggressive again in this one if they want to take care of business at home.
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This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Chicago Bulls are currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 10 games back from the first-place Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 112.8 points per game and they are shooting 47.9% from the field. This is the 15th most points scored per contest and the seventh-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have an adjusted offensive rating of 110.8, which is the 24th-highest rating in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan continues to lead this team on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 25.8 points per game and he is shooting 50.3% from the floor. Chicago has also shown that they have multiple players that can heat up from behind the arc. They are shooting 36.2% from deep, which is the 12th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. They have also shot 82.4% at the charity stripe, which is the third-highest free throw shooting percentage in the NBA. They ca n't miss out on these free points and still expect to win these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Bulls have continued to struggle as well. They are currently allowing 113.8 points per game and their opponents have shot 47.4% from the floor. This is the 16th least amount of points surrendered per game and the 22nd lowest shooting percentage allowed from the field. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have an adjusted defensive rating of 110.7, which is the seventh-lowest rating in the NBA. Unfortunately, they have struggled to defend on the perimeter, as they are allowing their opponents to shoot 36.2% from behind the arc, which is the 27th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. They are also snatching 42.7 rebounds per game, which is the 21st most. They have to secure the ball after missed shots if they want to keep the Timberwolves from scoring second-chance points.
Injury Report: Lonzo Ball PG (knee) is listed as out for this game.
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