GAME NIGHT FROM MINNESOTA: Bulls (20-38, 7-21 on the road) at Minnesota (36-26, 24-7 at home)
TV: WGN TV: Neil Funk and Stacey King. 8PM tip.
RADIO: 670 The Score. Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington and Steve Kashul. 7:45 pre game.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine 17 ppg. Minnesota: Butler: 22 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 7. Minnesota: Towns 12.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Dunn: 6. Minnesota: Teague: 7.
LAST MEETING: February 9th at the United Center: Bulls 114 Minnesota 113. Zach LaVine scored eight of his season-high 35 points in the final 1:11, as the Bulls rallied from a 17 point deficit.
CCI 24 SECONDS COMMENTARY: The game has been over shadowed by the injury to Jimmy Butler. An MRI has been scheduled for today. X-rays were negative, but more will be known about the extent of his right knee injury after the MRI. How will the T-Wolves respond with Butler sidelined? Will Andrew Wiggins step up? Will we see more shots from KAT or Jeff Teague?
Meantime, the Bulls get a chance to sweep the mini-series against Minnesota, and there is no doubt Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn will be amped up to play at the Target Center. I liked what David Nwaba did the other night against Philadelphia. Cristiano Felicio will need to avoid getting in early foul trouble tonight against Karl Anthony Towns.
Head Coach Fred Hoiberg will announce his rotation after today’s shoot around.
Denzel Valentine was distraught following the Bulls loss to Philly, considering an inbound pass from Valentine led to a steal and two free throws by the 76ers for the go ahead and winning points. But it really never comes down to just one play, and while Valentine took responsibility for the Bulls’ loss, the team couldn’t make stops at crunch time. Valentine didn’t avoid reporters, either. He answered every question with professional etiquette in his post game media session.
NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Houston 120 Minnesota 102. The Rockets won their 11th straight game. James Harden with 31.
Portland ended Utah’s 11-game win streak with some strong defense in a 100-81 win, as Lillard and McCollum combined for 50 points.
Anthony Davis is on another planet; absolutely ridiculous. Another monster night for the big man from Chicago with 45 points, 17 rebounds 5 steals, and 5 blocks, as the Pelicans won their fourth-straight, topping Miami, 124-123 in OT. He’s the first player to stuff the stat sheet like that since the 73-74 season.
LeBron James with his 11th triple-double of the season (18-14-11), as the Cavs cruised past Memphis, 112-89. James’ numbers in February: 25 ppg, 10 rebounds, 10assists, FG 55%, and 3PFG 41%.
Milwaukee ended Toronto’s seven-game win streak. Free basketball in Toronto, as the Bucks win in OT, 122-119. Giannis with a 26-12 game.
Indiana improved to 15-6 since early January, topping Atlanta, 116-93. The Hawks are 5-25 on the road.
Frank Kaminsky, with a season high 25 points, lifted the Hornets over the Wizards, 122-105. It was a letdown game for the Wizards after beating the Cavs in Cleveland the night before.
Boston 110 Detroit 98. Daniel Theis with a career high 19 points. Big fan of this young man. He competes and plays hard. Solid rotation player.
Tobias Harris is a keeper for LAC. A monster night of 30-12-4 for the veteran out of Tennessee, as the Clippers ripped the setting Suns, 128-117.
Denver is proving to be one of the better home teams in the NBA, as they improved to 24-7 following a 122-119 win over the Spurs. Wilson Chandler with a big time game of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Harris with 23. Jokic with a 28-11 game. The Nuggets go to 33-26. Some long days are ahead for the Spurs.
The Lakers hammered Dallas 124-102. Lonzo Ball returned to the court for the first time since January 13th (knee). In 17 minutes off the bench, he had a 9-7-6 game.
Thanks for reading CCI. Email me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls.
Always a pleasure!