Minnesota Timberwolves vs Chicago Bulls Prediction: Two teams that are wayward

NBA Regular Season has been in the works for some time now and this is another fascinating season where we have seen a bunch of intriguing battles. In this set of games, we are heading toward the midseason window and this is a brilliant phase. In this Regular Season game, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to take on the Chicago Bulls.

The Timberwolves come into this game after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 112:110 as Naz Reid went red-hot and erupted for a 28 points night. This win curbed a three-game losing streak and the Wolves remain some distance away from ensuring a strong record. Currently, they have 15 losses and 14 wins and their woes have been exacerbated by the absence of Karl Anthony-Towns. This has hit their offensive sets but even when Karl was active, the Timberwolves' offense wasn’t as electric as last season when they were among the top scoring teams.

Their offensive rating was among top ten teams last season but right now, they are in the bottom ten squads in that regard. They remain a team with a fast pace styled and are second in pace(102.2). One big shining light has been the improving play of D’Angelo Russell who has had multiple 20+ points game. Anthony Edwards has had tough nights but has been a major option. Rudy Gobert is pulling down rebounds as usual whereas Jaden McDaniels has been a great defensive player. The bench relies mostly on Jaylen Nowell who can pump in a bunch of points.

The Bulls come into this game after yet another loss as they got rattled by the Knicks 91:114 despite a 17 points performance by Zach LaVine. The Bulls have lost three in a row and they have been reeling with 17 losses and 11 wins. Their defense has been abysmal. They are the fourth-worst offensive team from the three-point line, making around ten a game. DeMar DeRozan has been the leading scorer whereas Zach LaVine has been a strong supporting act. Nikola Vucevic is a factor in many ways, but he is not someone who can propel a team to big heights by himself.

The downfall began last season when Lonzo Ball was sidelined due to an injury in mid-January, until then the Bulls have won more than 60% of their games. Since Ball has gone, the Bulls haven’t been even a 45% win squad and the downturn has been both at home and away from home. DeMar DeRozan has been left to play the hero ball and the team is vulnerable at two positions, at the Point Guard and the big Forward position. The Bulls’ defense hasn’t been terrible but it hasn’t been enough to pull through in tough situations.

• Timberwolves: OUT: Karl Anthony-Towns, Taurean Prince, Jordan McLaughlin. QUESTIONABLE: Rudy Gobert, D’Angelo Russell;
• Bulls: OUT: Lonzo Ball. PROBABLE: Ayu Dosunmu, JaVonte Green.

• Expected Leading Scorers: DeMar DeRozan(26-33 Points), Anthony Edwards(23-27 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Vucevic(9-11 Rebounds), Anthony Edwards(7-10 Rebounds)

The Timberwolves have been underwhelming in the recent times and the question mark on Russell’s and Gobert’s availability is only causing further disruption. For the Bulls, things have been even worse and they are just unable to win a close game which has further dented their already shaken confidence. I believe the Wolves will win second in a row but the Bulls are going to make it incredibly tough. I predict a scoreline of 119:113 in favor of the Timberwolves.