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Bulls big on 3-point shots in win over Minnesota

Three games into preseason, the Bulls are certainly trending toward being long-range specialists.

In a 114-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday in Winnipeg, Canada, the Bulls connected on 12 of 20 shots from 3-point range during the first half.

The Bulls can still be inconsistent 3-point shooters, but the players responded well to that style on Saturday. Nine different players connected from behind the arc and the Bulls finished 16 for 36 from long range.

E'Twaun Moore led the Bulls with 18 points against the Timberwolves, but Doug McDermott did most of the damage early, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half. McDermott went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half.

The hot shooting sent the Bulls to a 34-16 lead after the first quarter. They placed six players in double figures, including Kirk Hinrich with 13 points and rookie Bobby Portis with 12.

"I thought we played very unselfishly," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "The thing I was most pleased with is how we guarded in that first quarter. The second quarter, I thought we got a little lazy. Things were coming pretty easy to us early on in that first quarter and then we allowed them to come back into it. I just didn't think we had that same intensity we had in the first."

Pau Gasol played for the first time in preseason and finished with 8 points in 16 minutes. Gasol got an early break in preseason because he logged heavy minutes for Spain in last month's European championships.

Joakim Noah sat this one out after taking a hard fall on Thursday against Denver. Noah returned to that game after being shaken up, but got this night off.

Taj Gibson (ankle surgery), Derrick Rose (fractured eye socket) and Mike Dunleavy (back surgery) remain sidelined.

Hinrich started at point guard on Saturday after Moore got the call in the first two preseason contests. McDermott continued to come off the bench, relieving Tony Snell at small forward.

"The great thing was, we kept the ball moving all night long," Hoiberg said. "We had 30 assists tonight. That's a great number. The ball was moving to the next guy. We had a good shot, we made it a better shot with another pass."

The Bulls are back at home Monday to face New Orleans.

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