Takeaways & Player Grades: Minnesota Timberwolves 136, Chicago Bulls 101

The Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves were in a tight one at the United Center ... until they weren't.

3 Takeaways

Dealing with No Zach Collins

With Zach Collins stuck in street clothes, head coach Billy Donovan had to adjust. The reserve big man had become an increasingly important part of the team's rotation over the previous couple of weeks. Not only does he provide the agile floor-spacing ability that this group prefers at the five, but he is easily their best rim-protecting option.

Collins had also been playing more and more alongside fellow reserve big man Jalen Smith. The double-big lineup had seemed to unlock something for the Bulls on both ends of the floor, and Donovan used it regularly throughout their recent five-game winning streak. This is why it came as little surprise that the head coach still went with the look in the first quarter against a sizeable Timberwolves team.

Smith checked in for Matas Buzelis to play alongside Nikola Vucevic around the 6:15 mark. The two shared the floor until Patrick Williams rejoined the rotation after seeing his minutes shrink over the last week. It was assumed the Bulls would call his name tonight against a Timberwolves frontcourt that featured Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid.

Indeed, Matas Buzelis was going to struggle with the sheer size difference. Donovan knew that and handed the forward some extra minutes at small forward. The shaken-up rotation led to some interesting results early on. Both teams struggled to gain any real feel on the offensive end, resulting in a low-scoring first quarter that Chicago led 23-21.

Vucevic was also surprisingly eager to find the bottom of the net. He took seven of the team's first 12 shots as he attempted to go right at the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. It was a somewhat odd game plan, but one that made sense as more Bulls were blocked as they attempted to drive to the rim.

Timberwolves Do It All

The longer the game went on, the more comfortable the Minnesota Timberwolves' offense looked. They followed up their 21-point first quarter with 34 points in the second, 40 points in the third, and 41 points in the fourth.

They ended the night with 60 points in the paint behind a 30-46 shooting effort. On top of that, they drained 15 of their 37 three-point attempts, had a +8 advantage in fastbreak points, and finished as a +7 at the charity stripe. Chicago's defense has been a problem all season long, but tonight underscores just how lost they tend to be on that side of the ball. They couldn't slow down the Timberwolves in any department.

Naz Reid looked especially dominant. The sixth man dropped 33 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, which included a 6-10 showing from downtown.

injury Bug Bites Hard

At the end of the day, this 35-point loss comes down to one thing: Injuries.

Coby White was forced to exit the game in the first quarter, only for Josh Giddey to experience the same fate early in the third quarter. The absence of the team's two leading scorers seemed to suck the air out of the United Center. While the Bulls attempted to keep things closer in the minutes following Giddey's departure, the Timberwolves deserve credit for pressing their foot down on the gas. They knew the Bulls simply didn't have the bodies on the floor to make their scoring output.

Would it have been nice to see a more spirited finish? Sure, but I can't necessarily blame the Bulls for looking so out of sorts. That's what happens when you unexpectedly lose your two best players.

Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Tre Jones of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) defends Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Jalen Smith – A
Stats: 12 PTS, 6 REB, 2BLK, 1 STL

You have to respect how hard Jalen Smith played. The Chicago Bulls needed him to step up with Zach Collins sidelined, and he did that in the first half. His best sequence came after he stuffed Jaden McDaniels on one end before splashing the corner three on the other to put the Bulls up 39-32.

Nikola Vucevic – B+
Stats: 23 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST

Nikola Vucevic looked like he took this matchup personally. He finished the night 10-17 from the field against one of the more imposing frontcourts in the NBA. He also spaced the floor well with a 3-5 showing, which marked his most made threes since November 22.

Patrick Williams – B-
Stats: 7 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK

I always feel like it's best to grade Patrick Williams on a curve. Considering he has recently lost his spot in the rotation, I have to consider this one of his better nights. The Bulls needed him to provide some physical defense and energetic play against this frontcourt ... he at least tried to do that.

Tre Jones –C+
Stats: 11 PTS, 4 AST, 1 REB

Tre Jones did a nice job getting into the teeth of the Timberwolves' defense and finishing at the rim. To be honest, the Bulls would have benefitted from him being even more aggressive, particularly after the injuries struck.

Ayo Dosunmu – C
Stats: 10 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB

Ayo Dosunmu only shot 4-12 from the field, but you have to respect his energy tonight. The guard was hustling up and down the floor and desperately trying to make something happen after his backcourt teammates went down.

Matas Buzelis – C-
Stats: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK

Matas Buzelis shot 5-14 from the field tonight in what was unsurprisingly a tough matchup for him. Nevertheless, he remained engaged offensively and tossed up some good looks that just didn't fall.