DeRozan scores 35, Bulls pull away to beat Wolves 134-122
File: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, left, forward Malcolm Hill, forward DeMar DeRozan, second from right, and center Tony Bradley, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points, Nikola Vucevic added 26 and the Chicago Bulls used a big fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 134-122 on Friday night.
Tied with Milwaukee and Cleveland for second place in the Eastern Conference coming in, the Bulls went on a 15-2 run early in the fourth and outscored the Timberwolves 42-31 in the period.
DeRozan scored 16 in the final quarter on the way to his fifth straight game with more than 30 points.
Vucevic had eight rebounds and seven assists. Javonte Green tied a career high with 23 points. Coby White scored 12 of his 22 in the fourth and tied a season high with six 3-pointers in the game, helping Chicago win its second straight and stop a two-game home losing streak.
The Timberwolves lost their second in a row following five consecutive wins.
Anthony Edwards scored 31. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. D’Angelo Russell added 18 points.
Minnesota led 100-97 early in the fourth when the Bulls went on that 15-2 run.
They scored nine straight, starting with a fadeaway jumper by DeRozan. White nailed a 3 to put Chicago on top. DeRozan scored again after the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels threw the ball away, and Ayo Dosunmu fed Zach LaVine for an alley-oop dunk to make it 106-100.
The Bulls kept it up after Russell made two free throws. DeRozan hit back-to-back jumpers, and Dosunmu drove for a dunk, making it 112-102 with 7:22 remaining.
TIP-INS
Bulls: G Dosunmu had 14 points and 10 assists after missing a game because because of a concussion. The rookie made 6 of 7 shots, including 2 of 3 3-pointers. … LaVine had 12 points, his third-lowest total this season. … The Bulls shot 63.2% from the field and made 14 of 31 from beyond the arc.
Timberwolves: Minnesota shot 13 of 40 on 3-pointers. … Chicago product Patrick Beverley scored 10. … Beverley (sprained right ankle), Edwards (left knee pain), G Josh Okogie (bruised right quad), F Taurean Prince (sprained left ankle), C Naz Reid (bruised right knee) and Russell (bruised left shin) were all available after being listed as questionable.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit Indiana on Sunday.
Bulls: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday.