Trade deadline math: Will thrilling comeback win persuade Bulls to add or subtract?
To counter Minnesota's twin centers lineup, Bulls coach Billy Donovan started both Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond on Tuesday.
Maybe it was a showcase opportunity for Drummond, who has been mentioned as a popular trade target ahead of Thursday's deadline. But this game was also a reminder the Bulls need to add height, not subtract.
When Drummond or Vucevic took a rest, it was up to 6-7 Torrey Craig to guard one of the Timberwolves' 7-footers, or sometimes 6-9 backup Naz Reid.
But height wasn't as big a deal as long-range shooting in this game. The Timberwolves were hot early, then Coby White had a scorching second half as the Bulls rallied from a 23-point deficit to beat Minnesota 129-123 in overtime at the United Center.
It was possibly the Bulls' best win of the season, since the Timberwolves (35-16) started the night tied with Oklahoma City for first place in the Western Conference.
“Great effort by the players, they all contributed,” Donovan said. “Torrey gave us really good minutes off the bench. I thought Andre and Vuc together at least gave us some stabilizing force up front with as big as they are. That really helped. I thought it was a real good team effort all the way through.”
White scored 30 of his 33 points in the second half, while hitting 7 of 9 shots from 3-point range after halftime. DeMar DeRozan also had 33 points, including 10 in overtime. For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards finished with 38 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 33.
Drummond, meanwhile, held his own against Minnesota's Rudy Gobert. Drummond had 16 points and 16 rebounds, compared to Gobert's 12 and 16. The Bulls recorded a season-high 16 blocks, 4 each by Drummond, Vucevic and Alex Caruso. Vucevic contributed 24 points.
Craig left the game with about a minute left in overtime when he turned his ankle while trying to block a shot.
For the second time in four days, the Bulls fell way behind early, then mounted a furious comeback. On Saturday against Sacramento, the Bulls trimmed a 30-point deficit down to 3 with 1:31 left, but couldn't finish it off.
“I think when we're able to get stops, we're able to get out and force a little tempo for us and get some easy baskets,” Donovan said. “I thought Coby's offense in the second half was huge.”
Despite Minnesota's size advantage, the Bulls led points in the paint pretty handily. But while the Bulls missed their first nine 3-point attempts, the Timberwolves knocked down 10 of 19 3s in the first half and built the 23-point advantage.
The Bulls trimmed 13 points off the deficit in the third quarter, then took the lead on White's driving bank shot and 3-point play with 2:28 left in the fourth. The Bulls stretched the lead to 4, but Towns eventually tied it with a 3-pointer at the 50.1 second mark and neither team could score down the stretch.
Before the game, Donovan said he met with basketball operations boss Arturas Karnisovas on Tuesday morning but didn't get the impression there are any imminent trades happening. Trade talks generally don't get serious until the final 24 to 48 hours before the deadline.
Donovan talked about he wouldn't enjoy seeing anybody on the Bulls' roster depart in a trade.
“I really love being around these guys all the time,” he said. “They're a great group to work with, a great group of guys, but there's also a business component to it too.
“If something did happen at the trade deadline, I would be disappointed, just from the relationship part. You get close to people, you invest time. There's relationships that get established and built.”
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