A first for Chicago Bulls: scoreless overtime
In the seventh game of their 50th season, the Bulls did something they never had done before - go scoreless in overtime.
They went 0-for-9 with 2 turnovers during the extra session against Minnesota, with 7 of those shots coming from 3-point range.
The cold spell actually began midway through the fourth quarter. From the 6:31 mark through the end of overtime, the Bulls went 1-for-20 from the field and the only made shot was a tip-in by Pau Gasol. Minnesota outscored the Bulls 19-4 during that stretch.
"I think this is the worse you'll ever see us play and hopefully in a couple of games you'll be able to tell the difference," Derrick Rose said after the game. "It's only six or seven games in. We're kind of getting more familiar with each other."
The late-game drought has been a recurring problem for the Bulls. They got off to a slow start in overtime during a loss to Detroit and also went cold in the fourth quarter against Orlando last week.
The frigid stretch against Minnesota was tough to explain beyond the Bulls missing some good looks when it began, then the Timberwolves doing a nice job of stepping up the defensive intensity at the end.
The Bulls thought they were robbed of a basket when Jimmy Butler tipped in an alley-oop with Andrew Wiggins grasping his jersey, but the referees ruled the foul came before the shot.
"You've just got to try to manufacture good looks," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We had some and other times we didn't. Again, we'll evaluate all that and hopefully be better."
Wiggins heats up:
Minnesota's second-year forward Andrew Wiggins came into Saturday's game shooting just 29.3 percent from the field. He turned it around against the Bulls, scoring 22 of his 31 points in the first half. Wiggins hit 11 of 27 shots overall, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Before the game, Timberwolves coach Sam Mitchell talked about Wiggins' offensive struggles.
"One thing I tell our players, nobody ever tries not to score," Mitchell said. "So he's trying to put the ball in the basket. He's getting the shots that we want in the offense. I'm pleased with the effort and the shots we're getting. They just have to go in."
Towns protects paint:
The Timberwolves are a unique team, featuring the last two No. 1 overall draft picks. While Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 31 points against the Bulls, rookie center Karl Anthony Towns had a mixed bag.
Towns went to the bench after picking up 2 fouls in the opening two minutes. He picked up the pace later, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. His long presence in the paint helped keep the Bulls off the scoreboard in overtime.
"He's a rookie. Some good nights. Some not so good nights," Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell said. "That's OK, we expect that. Each and every night, he competes and that's what he wants our young guys to do."