MINNEAPOLIS — Al Jefferson scored a season-high 39 points to lead Minnesota to a 109-108 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, the Timberwolves’ ninth win in 11 games.
With the win, Minnesota sent Chicago to its fifth straight loss and improved to 9-2 in January, surpassing San Antonio for the league’s best record in 2009.
Ben Gordon led six Chicago players in double figures with 23 points.
Rookie Kevin Love added 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who completed their biggest comeback of the season after falling behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
Derrick Rose had chances to win it for the Bulls in both regulation and overtime. But his 17-footer at the end of regulation was off the mark, and he forced an off-balanced attempt in the final seconds of overtime. At least two Bulls had a chance to tip in the winning shot, but the ball ended up out of bounds in Minnesota’s possession.
Luol Deng had 22 points for Chicago, while Rose added 18 and Andres Nocioni 15.
Joakim Noah bounced back from his scoreless performance against Toronto to score 14 points and had a career-high seven blocked shots.
The Bulls came out eager to snap their four-game skid and quickly jumped on the Wolves, building a 16-point lead while Minnesota missed its first 11 shots.
Minnesota pulled back into the game, though, by outscoring Chicago 25-9 to tie it at 43.
Notes: Bulls F Tyrus Thomas left with a sprained right ankle in
the third quarter after getting tangled with Wolves F Craig Smith while going for a loose ball. He returned in the fourth. … Both Rose and Gordon played a little under the weather. Before the game, Gordon was listed as questionable with flulike symptoms. “They both shot around this morning and are feeling a little bit better,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. … Minnesota travels to Milwaukee on Monday for the Bucks’ first game since Sunday’s news that Michael Redd would be lost for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee. “You just feel terrible for him,” Wolves coach Kevin McHale said. Asked if the news affected Minnesota’s preparation for the Bucks, McHale said, “I’ve got a lot more worries about Rose and (Kirk) Hinrich and everybody tonight. I’ll have plenty of angst tomorrow over Milwaukee. Give me one angst at a time please.”
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