No Plane, No Problem: Powell and the Short-Handed Bulls Beat the Timberwolves, 117-106, and End Minnesota's Win Streak

The Chicago Bulls did not get to Minneapolis the easy way, and they did not win there the easy way either. They did both anyway.

Norman Powell scored 23 points, Matas Buzelis added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the short-handed Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 on Saturday night, the Associated Press reported ^[2]. The win snapped Minnesota's five-game winning streak ^[4] and gave Chicago victories on back-to-back nights ^[2].

A Game-Day Flight

The Bulls' trip was scrambled by the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide ground stop and the flight delays that followed on Friday. Instead of arriving the night before, Chicago had to fly from Chicago to Minneapolis on Saturday morning, according to the AP ^[2]. ESPN noted that neither the late arrival nor a thin roster seemed to slow the Bulls down ^[1].

That thin roster included the absence of rookie Caleb Wilson, who is expected to be out for an extended stretch with a fractured hand, ESPN reported ^[1]. Powell himself had been listed as questionable before the game with lower-back injury management, Yahoo Sports reported ^[5]. He played anyway.

Powell Leads, the Bench Delivers

Powell was efficient from start to finish. He made 10 of his 19 shots, including three of five from 3-point range, and added five rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks in 30 minutes, according to CBS Sports ^[3].

Buzelis gave Chicago the inside presence it needed, and the second unit may have been the difference. Buddy Hield and Tre Jones each scored 16 points off the bench ^[2]. Chicago's shooting set the tone early, with the Bulls hitting seven of their 15 3-point tries before halftime ^[1]. Minnesota, by contrast, made just nine of its 38 attempts from deep for the game ^[1].

The Bulls led by double digits at halftime and held off a Timberwolves push in the third quarter before pulling away in the final minutes, ESPN's recap showed ^[1].

Minnesota Misses Its Star

The Timberwolves were again without Anthony Edwards, who underwent a right knee arthroscopy on Oct. 29 and was expected to miss up to two months, according to Yahoo Sports ^[5]. Ayo Dosunmu led Minnesota with 24 points, and LaMelo Ball added 19 on a difficult shooting night, the Star Tribune reported ^[4].

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Even without Edwards, Minnesota had won five straight before Saturday ^[4]. Saturday showed how thin the margin becomes when the shots stop falling and an opponent's bench outplays yours.

Why It Matters

Chicago's record still does not look like much. The Bulls started the season 1-9, and this was the first time all year they have won consecutive games, Field Level Media reported ^[6]. But there is something worth noticing in how this team has responded to adversity.

A team that has every reason to feel sorry for itself — a bad start, a key rookie lost to a broken hand, a nationwide ground stop and a game-day flight — instead played with energy, shared the ball and got contributions from up and down the roster. Hield and Jones, veterans who could easily have been overlooked in a lost season, combined for 32 points off the bench ^[2]. That is the kind of unselfish, show-up-and-work basketball that coaches spend entire careers trying to teach.

Sports are full of excuses waiting to be used. The Bulls left theirs at the airport.

What Comes Next

The question for Chicago is whether two wins in two nights can become a real turnaround. Getting Wilson back will take time ^[1], and the schedule will not wait for the Bulls to get healthy. But a team that wins on the road after a game-day flight has shown it can handle the hard way.

For Minnesota, the task is to regroup, find its shooting touch and hold the line until Edwards returns. A five-game streak showed the Timberwolves can win without their star. Saturday showed how much they will need him back.