Bulls pull away for 96-85 win over Timberwolves
Kirk Hinrich finished with 27 points after a rough start, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-85, spoiling Randy Foye's return from a knee injury Tuesday night.
Although they began the night with the NBA's worst record, the Timberwolves were showing signs of progress. They had won three of four, beating Phoenix along the way, and the lone loss during that stretch was by one to Boston.
Foye scored 11 points in 17 minutes in his first appearance of the season, but the good news ended there for the Timberwolves.
Hinrich hit a jumper midway through the third quarter to break a 49-49 tie after missing 11 of his first 12 shots, and the Bulls started to pull away. He scored 12 points in the period as Chicago built a 71-62 lead.
Andres Nocioni added 18 points for Chicago, which had lost three of four, and the Bulls got a solid outing from Joakim Noah (10 points, 13 rebounds).
The Timberwolves never challenged in the fourth.
Al Jefferson scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half and grabbed 12 rebounds, after delivering a career-high 40 and grabbing 19 rebounds against New Jersey on Sunday. Rashad McCants got going in the second half, scoring all but two of his 16 points, and Marko Jaric scored 14.
It was a rough night for the Timberwolves, even though they welcomed back one of their best players and the Bulls were again missing their stars -- guard Ben Gordon (sprained right wrist) and forward Luol Deng (left Achilles' tendinitis).
Foye entered the game with 4:16 left in the first quarter and missed his first two shots, but found his stroke early in the second. He scored seven points in the opening 1:45 of the period, hitting a 3-pointer, and although his minutes were limited, his knee appeared to be fine.
An NBA all-rookie team selection last season, Foye is a key figure as the Timberwolves rebuild following an offseason overhaul in which they sent Kevin Garnett to Boston. He averaged 10.1 points, 2.8 assists and 22.9 minutes while playing all 82 games last year.
Foye said he bruised the knee in summer league and continued to play on it, aggravating the condition. He appeared in three preseason games before shutting it down.
He initially expected to miss several weeks, but the injury was slow to heal. He started practicing on a limited basis on Jan. 7 and began participating in all drills about a week ago.