Keys to Chicago Bulls’ road game vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Chicago Bulls (11-17) visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-15) tonight. The Bulls are coming off a 114-91 home loss against the Knicks on Friday.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 17 points, and DeMar DeRozan added 14 points in the loss.

Lonzo Ball is still out with a left knee injury as the Bulls look to avoid losing their fourth straight game. Ayo Dosunmu (abdomen) and Javonte Green (right knee soreness) are probable for this game.

Chicago Bulls (11-17) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-15)

Sunday, December 18 – 07:00 PM ET at Target Center

Chicago Bulls

Points Per Game: 112.8 (15th of 30)
Opponent Points Per Game: 113.8 (16th of 30)
Bench Points Per Game: 33.3 (16th of 30)
Pace: 100.5 (10th of 30)
Offensive Rating: 111 (24th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 112 (9th of 30)
Net Rating: -1.1 (20th of 30)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Points Per Game: 114.2 (13th of 30)
Opponent Points Per Game: 115.9 (24th of 30)
Bench Points Per Game: 33 (17th of 30)
Pace: 99.3 (16th of 30)
Offensive Rating: 111.3 (22nd of 30)
Defensive Rating: 112.9 (14th of 30)
Net Rating: -1.6 (23rd of 30)

Contain Naz Reid

Naz Reid plays hard every night, and he was outstanding in the Timberwolves’ 112-110 road win against the Thunder on Friday. Reid had a career game with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. His game-high +21 reflects how impactful he was.

The Timberwolves outscored the Thunder by 21 points in Reid’s 37 minutes, and with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert questionable on Sunday, Reid can be the X-factor against the Bulls as well. Chicago must contain Reid to have a chance in this game.

Better three-point defense and win the second-chance points battle

The Knicks, who were last in the league from three-point range (39.1%) before their games against the Bulls on Wednesday and Friday, went 18-of-34 (52.9%) from distance on Wednesday and 17-of-44 (38.6%) on Friday.

The Bulls shot the ball well in those two games; they made 54.8% of their shots on Wednesday and 46.8% on Friday, but they lost Friday’s game because the Knicks dominated the possession battle, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points, while the Bulls had just two offensive rebounds.

The Knicks forced 20 Bulls’ turnovers on Friday, which led to 24 points. New York attempted 92 field goals, and Chicago shot the ball 77 times. The Bulls won’t end their three-game losing streak if they replicate this effort.

Noteworthy

The Bulls won the last meeting, 124-120, on April 10th. Patrick Williams led the Bulls with 35 points.

Chicago beat Minnesota three of the last four times.

The Bulls are 5-5 in the last 10 matchups against the Timberwolves.

Bulls’ projected lineup: Vucevic, Williams, DeRozan, LaVine, Caruso

Timberwolves’ projected lineup: Reid, McDaniels, Anderson, Edwards, Rivers

Injury Report: Lonzo Ball is out for the Bulls with a left knee injury. Ayo Dosunmu (abdomen) and Javonte Green (right knee soreness) are listed as probable

Karl-Anthony Towns (right calf strain) and Jordan McLaughlin (left calf) are out for the Timberwolves, and Rudy Gobert (left ankle) and D’Angelo Russell (left knee) are listed as questionable