Bulls Defeat Timberwolves 99-94

Chicago Bulls rookie James Johnson helped his team finish strong to earn a 99-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Wednesday. Chicago jumped to a 32-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and shot 65 percent from the field, making 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. Bulls’ John Salmons and Luol Deng stepped up big against the Timberwolves. Salmons scored 16 points and Deng had 14 in limited minutes, while both players shot 50 percent from the field. Deng left the game early because of an injured finger, but he should be fine. Bulls center Joakim Noah also played well, with 14 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes. The center added some great dunks in traffic. After the game, Noah stated, “It’s always a good feeling to win, but we know it doesn’t really mean that much because it’s preseason. It’s all about improvement. It’s our first back-to-back and having two wins in a row and having the right mind-set, it’s important.” Chicago improved to 4-1 in preseason. They have three games remaining, all at the United Center, beginning with a Minnesota rematch on Friday. After Minnesota came from 11 down to take the lead, Chicago’s rookies and reserves raised their game to another level and secured a victory for the Bulls.

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