National Basketball Association
Minnesota 119, Chicago 94
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #15 Zach Zarba, #66 Haywoode Workman, #74 Curtis Blair
Attendance: 21852

Karl Anthony-Towns and Taj Gibson combined for all the scoring in an 8-0 burst to open the game that gave the Minnesota Timberwolves the lead for good in their 119-94 romp over the host Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Derrick Rose had a team-high 24 points to go with eight assists, while Towns recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double for the Timberwolves, who completed a two-game, season-series sweep of the Bulls.

The 20-20 game was Towns' third of the season and eighth of his career. It was just the 21st 20-20 game of the NBA season. Only Detroit's Andre Drummond, with six, has more than Towns.

Zach LaVine came off the bench for a game-high 28 points for the Bulls, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Towns and Gibson had two hoops apiece in the early push that propelled Minnesota to as much as a 15-point lead in the first quarter and a 60-37 halftime advantage.

Chicago missed its first six shots and didn't score until Lauri Markkanen dropped in a hoop 3:51 into the game.

The Bulls got no closer than 16 in the second half.

Gibson had 16 points, Andrew Wiggins 14, Tyus Jones 13 and Dario Saric 12 for Minnesota, which completed a three-game trip with two wins after losing at San Antonio.

The Timberwolves outshot the Bulls 49.5 percent to 41.1 and outscored the hosts 33-18 on 3-pointers. Minnesota also outrebounded Chicago 52-45.

Markkanen finished with 16 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 12 with nine rebounds and Kris Dunn collected nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Chicago, which was coming off a 112-92 win at Cleveland on Sunday.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Chicago
Derrick Rose 24 Scoring Zach LaVine 28
Derrick Rose 8 Assists Kris Dunn 7
Karl-Anthony Towns 20 Rebounds Wendell Carter Jr. 9
Taj Gibson 3 Free Throws Made Zach LaVine 5
Derrick Rose 2 Steals Ryan Arcidiacono 2
Robert Covington 1 Blocks Wendell Carter Jr. 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 119 49.5 11-32 16-19 26 52 1 4 12
Chicago 94 41.1 6-23 10-16 22 45 5 6 10
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Bulls have a W/L % of .111 after a win and .308 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .421 after a loss.