Anthony Edwards delivered a dominant performance, scoring 49 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 127-108 victory over the short-handed Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Minnesota improved to 28-23, while Chicago fell to 22-30.
Edwards erupted for 20 points in the third quarter, finishing the night 13-of-28 from the field, 6-of-14 from three-point range, and an impressive 17-of-18 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds, securing one of the most explosive scoring nights of his career.
His 49-point performance tied Karl-Anthony Towns for the most 40-point games in Timberwolves history and matched Kevin Garnett for the second-most 30-point outings in franchise history.
Naz Reid provided key support with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Rudy Gobert added a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Minnesota set a season high for three-pointers in a quarter, hitting nine in the opening frame.
Chicago struggled early as Minnesota opened the game on a 22-4 run and built a 21-point lead by the midway mark of the first quarter. The Bulls fought back, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Coby White led Chicago with 20 points, while Josh Giddey added 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Nikola Vucevic contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, but the Bulls lacked firepower with multiple key players sidelined.
The team played without Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Tre Jones following the weekend trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio. Lonzo Ball also sat out for injury management on the second night of a back-to-back.
Despite Chicago’s effort, Minnesota controlled the tempo throughout the game. The Timberwolves out-rebounded the Bulls 59-34 and made 20 three-pointers, shooting 42.6% from deep.
Mike Conley orchestrated the offense with nine assists, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 12 points off the bench. Minnesota’s depth helped maintain control even as Chicago made pushes in the second and third quarters.
