Bulls at Timberwolves
The Chicago Bulls are expected to be without All-Star guard Jimmy Butler when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday after their leading scorer suffered a sprained right knee Friday in Denver. The injury was a precursor to a disastrous night for Chicago, which blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and was outscored 42-21 in the final period of a 115-110 loss to the Nuggets that dropped them to 2-3 on its season-high seven-game road trip.
Butler fell awkwardly to the floor early in the second quarter after being fouled by Joffrey Lauvergne and after making one of two free throws was wheeled off the court for further examination but later had a sense of humor, telling Bulls staff members: "Y'all get me the Forrest Gump knee brace." Chicago, which has won six straight in Minnesota, is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference - 3 1/2 games clear of ninth-place Charlotte in the playoff race. Minnesota snapped a five-game losing streak and a 12-game road slide with a 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. "We're gaining confidence every day," Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins told reporters after scoring 31 points. "We may lose, but we're not getting beaten bad and we're not getting blown out. We may be down by 15 points sometimes, but we're fighting back and never giving up."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago
ABOUT THE BULLS (27-22): It has been a tough week for Butler (22.4 points per game), who missed Wednesday's 107-102 victory in Sacramento with left knee tendinitis after banging his knee during a collision in Utah on Monday. Center Pau Gasol (16.7 points, 11.0 rebounds) missed Friday's game with a left hand sprain and Chicago is also without center Joakim Noah (shoulder) and forward Nikola Mirotic (appendicitis), who did not make the trip. Derek Rose stepped up in Butler's absence by recording 30 points, a season-high nine rebounds and eight assists.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (15-36): Interim coach Sam Mitchell is excited about the improved play of his club, telling reporters: “Well for a bunch of 20-year-olds, y’all should be excited. Any other NBA city, if you don’t have Golden State, San Antonio, OKC, a team like that, what else better to have than Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad. ...?" Wiggins, who scored 30 points in Minnesota's 119-115 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, averages a team-best 20.8. The Timberwolves will be well represented on All-Star Saturday night Feb. 13 with LaVine trying to defend his slam dunk title and Towns (16.5 points per game, second among rookies to Philadelphia's Jahlil Okafor at 16.9) participating in the skills competition.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Chicago is 3-5 in the second contest of back-to-back games this season, winning once in the last six such situations.
2. Minnesota F Kevin Garnett (knee) and G Kevin Martin (wrist) have each missed the last six games.
3. The Timberwolves won the first of two regular-season meetings 102-93 in overtime Nov. 7 in Chicago behind 31 points from Wiggins.