Yesterday, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 85-75 in preseason play.

This win makes the Bulls 3-4 in preseason play. Minnesota is now 5-2 in preseason play after their loss.

The Bulls started off strong, holding a 29-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Minnesota fought back, narrowing the lead to 6 points to end the third. The fourth quarter was a battle of attrition as the Bulls outscored the T’Wolves 13 to 9 and hold on to the win.

Larry Hughes did a good job next to Derrick Rose in the starting line up, scoring 21 points on 8-14 shooting. Unfortunately Hughes dislocated his right shoulder when he dived for a loose ball in the third quarter.

The injury, if it keeps Hughes out for an extended amount of time, will help Vinny Del Negro in coming to a decision on the Bulls guard rotation in the early months. Still, it is a real shame that Hughes got injured, given that he was outplaying Kirk Hinrich, who finished with 7 points and 3 assists and Thabo Sefolosha, who finished with 4 points.

Derrick Rose had another solid game, finishing with 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Rose had a high amount of turnovers at 5, but that is expected out of a rookie point guard.

Luol Deng’s struggles continue. Deng finished with 10 points on 4-12 shooting and 6 rebounds. The other small forward, Andres Nocioni, finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Del Negro will have to seriously consider starting Nocioni if Deng doesn’t shape up.

Al Jefferson finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota.

Tyrus Thomas missed this game because of an ankle injury he had against Dallas. Ben Gordon again didn’t play.

The Bulls final preseason game is on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center.

Similar Posts:

• Larry Hughes Out 6-8 Weeks
• Chicago Bull vs. Milwaukee Bucks Recap
• Chicago Bulls vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Recap
• Minnesota Timberwolves 109 vs. Chicago Bulls 108 OT
• Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks Recap

Tags: Al Jefferson, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, injury, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luol Deng, Minnesota Timberwolves, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas, Vinny Del Negro

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Game Recap. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.