Norman Powell scored nine of his 33 points in overtime to finally get Chicago out of an eight-game losing streak. The reward is a tougher turnaround: a trip to Minnesota, where the Timberwolves have won five straight. Can the Bulls carry Friday’s offensive breakthrough into a matchup with a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 109 points during that winning run?
Chicago found a finish. Now it needs stops.
Powell supplied the late scoring in Chicago’s 125-117 overtime win over Atlanta, but he wasn’t working alone. Josh Giddey finished with 15 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, while Jalen Smith added 15 points and 12 boards. That combination gives Chicago something to build on: Powell finishing possessions and Giddey creating opportunities for more than one scorer.
The Bulls have also been more competitive than their 2-9 record suggests lately. They’ve covered in three straight games, including five- and six-point losses to San Antonio and Philadelphia before beating Atlanta. Their offense scored at least 119 in each. Against Minnesota, the question is whether Chicago can keep producing when those passing lanes and finishing opportunities get harder to find.
The other end remains the bigger problem. Chicago has allowed at least 117 points in every game of its supplied 10-game stretch. Even Friday’s breakthrough required overtime rather than a comfortable finish. Playing again the next night adds another challenge: the Bulls need defensive possessions that end with a rebound, not repeated trips back into rotation.
Smith’s hand injury after leaving Friday’s game makes that task less certain. His availability for this matchup remains unresolved. After a 12-rebound performance, whether he can play matters to Chicago’s ability to finish possessions against Rudy Gobert; it’s not a reason to assume a particular replacement or workload.
Minnesota can win through more than one scorer
The Timberwolves’ 133-94 win over Dallas showed how quickly their offense can spread the damage. LaMelo Ball made six 3-pointers and had 22 points with nine assists. Bones Hyland scored 24 off the bench, Ayo Dosunmu added 18, and Jaden McDaniels contributed 16. A 17-4 burst after halftime included a Ball-to-Gobert alley-oop—a concrete example of the outside shooting and interior finishing Chicago must defend together.
Minnesota will again be without Anthony Edwards, ruled out following right knee arthroscopy. That keeps the spotlight on the distributed scoring Minnesota showed Thursday rather than an assumed return from its injured scorer.
There’s a steadier foundation underneath that shooting performance. Minnesota held Dallas to 37% from the field, and its five-game winning streak includes opponent scores of 100, 107, 109, 100 and 94. The Wolves also had Friday off while Chicago played overtime. The matchup turns on whether Minnesota can make Giddey’s creation difficult without giving Powell clean scoring chances.
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The spread asks for more than another Minnesota win
DraftKings lists Minnesota as a 15.5-point favorite. That’s a substantial demand even for a team playing this well. The Wolves have covered in 11 of 12 games this season, but only one victory during their current five-game winning streak came by more than this matchup’s spread. Their defensive control has been more consistent than runaway margins.
For that price to be worth laying, Minnesota needs to turn stops into separation, not simply keep Chicago at arm’s length. Our turnover projections put Chicago at 15.3 and Minnesota at 14.1. That’s a potential possession advantage, though not enough by itself to explain a rout. Chicago’s case for staying inside the number rests on Giddey protecting possessions and Powell sustaining the scoring that has kept the Bulls competitive lately. If either breaks down, the back-to-back becomes harder to manage.
The total depends on Chicago’s contribution
The total is 235.5. Minnesota’s latest offensive explosion makes a high-scoring game easy to picture, especially against Chicago’s recent defense. But all five games in the Wolves’ winning streak finished with 227 combined points or fewer. Their ability to suppress the opponent has mattered just as much as their own scoring.
That creates a different question from the spread. Minnesota could build a comfortable lead without this game clearing the total if Chicago struggles to score. Taking the over requires confidence that the Bulls can keep contributing—or that Minnesota can produce another unusually big offensive night. Taking the under requires confidence that Minnesota’s defensive control will travel from the Dallas performance into this matchup, even against a Chicago offense that has found points in three straight games. Watch whether Giddey can create good looks before the defense gets set; empty Bulls possessions would make the scoring threshold harder to reach, regardless of who controls the game.
Watch Chicago’s first response
I’ll be watching whether Chicago can answer Minnesota’s first scoring burst with organized offense rather than rushed shots. Giddey’s decisions, Powell’s shot quality and Smith’s availability are the details that could keep this competitive. Visit the NBA betting board to compare this large spread and scoring threshold with the rest of the slate as the injury picture develops.
Odds and projections are snapshots and can change. Wagering involves risk.
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