NBA: Minnesota banks on a dominant fourth-quarter finish to stun Chicago

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Minnesota Timberwolves poured all their firepower in the most important quarter of the game to frustrate the Chicago Bulls, 135-119, in the ongoing NBA regular season on November 8, 2024.

With the come-from-behind victory, the Timberwolves just continued their dominant performance against Eastern Conference teams following a demolition exhibition on the Charlotte Hornets three days ago.

It looked like the Bulls were ready to snap their two-game skid after controlling the pace of the game in the first three frames as they grabbed a slim five-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

With their superstar big man Nikola Vucevic filling the void that the injured Zach Lavine left who was out due to a right adductor strain, Chicago struck to their game plan and fed the big man at the post, resulting in 22 quick points in just three quarters.

However, just when the Bulls thought they already snatched the upper hand midway through the fourth, the trio of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Donte DiVincenzo took over in the clutch and spearheaded a massive turnaround on the offensive department, outscoring Chicago 45-24 en route to a lopsided win.

Edwards kicked off Minnesota’s fourth-quarter explosion after schooling the Chicago perimeter defense with his slick ball handling and got to the cup whenever he wanted.

After back-to-back crafty drives that helped the Timberwolves steal the lead, the rising superstar continued his fiery run and sank a huge three-pointer that forced Chicago to call a timeout.

Minnesota sensed blood in the final five minutes of the ball game, pummeling the loose Chicago defense courtesy of Randle’s bully ball underneath.

When the Bulls threatened to chip away their deficit after baskets from Josh Giddey and Coby White, DiVincenzo then extinguished their fire after draining timely treys that protected Minnesota’s double-digit lead in the most crucial stretch of the game.

It was a huge turnaround in the second half as the Timberwolves outscored the Bulls, 79-54, completing the huge bounce-back game after enduring Chicago’s waxing-hot first-half performance.

Edwards once again led the charge for Minnesota after dropping a game-high 33-point outing built from an efficient 13/23 shooting from the field.

The young star shot well from deep, draining five out of his nine total attempts from downtown and also added eight rebounds, six assists, and a block.

Meanwhile, Randle stuffed another double-double outing and registered 22 markers and 10 rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels chipped in 19 points and two boards.

Mike Conley and DiVincenzo, the two outstanding shot makers for Minnesota in the momentum-changing fourth, had 14 and 13 points, respectively.