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NBA · Regular season

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Chicago Bulls: Preview and Stats

Minnesota Timberwolves 9-3
vs
Chicago Bulls 1-9
Target Center, Minneapolis

Our picks

Our picks for Minnesota Timberwolves vs Chicago Bulls come out after the official NBA injury report, at most 48 hours before tip-off, and at the latest (3 hours before tip-off).

We are waiting for the result of a team's previous game.

Our NBA model track record for this matchup

Our winner picks on these teams

  • Minnesota Timberwolves 8 of 12 right (67%)
  • Chicago Bulls 8 of 10 right (80%)

Settled NBA winner picks since 21 Oct 2026.

Game details

Stage
NBA, Regular season
Tip-off
Arena
Target Center
City
Minneapolis
Since last match
Minnesota Timberwolves: Dallas Mavericks (133‑94) Chicago Bulls: Atlanta Hawks
Next match
Minnesota Timberwolves: Portland Trail Blazers Chicago Bulls: Cleveland Cavaliers

Missing production & availability impact

Share of last 10 games' offensive creation (PTS + AST) and minutes sidelined.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Official NBA injury report not yet filed for this matchup.

Chicago Bulls

Official NBA injury report not yet filed for this matchup.

Official NBA injury report

Minnesota Timberwolves

Official NBA injury report not yet filed for this matchup.

Chicago Bulls

Official NBA injury report not yet filed for this matchup.

Expected 8-man core rotation

Projected starters and key bench from recent usage and the official injury report.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Projected Starters
  • F Jaden McDaniels
    33.9 MPG 17.1 PPG 6.2 RPG 3.9 APG
  • G Ayo Dosunmu
    31.6 MPG 18.7 PPG 4.4 RPG 3.2 APG
  • F Jonathan Kuminga
    30.4 MPG 12.6 PPG 5.9 RPG 2.7 APG
  • G LaMelo Ball
    27.9 MPG 19.0 PPG 3.2 RPG 6.4 APG
  • C Rudy Gobert
    28.9 MPG 7.6 PPG 11.4 RPG 1.4 APG
Key Bench
  • G-F Terrence Shannon Jr
    21.6 MPG 10.3 PPG 3.6 RPG 3.3 APG
  • F Trey Lyles
    18.9 MPG 6.2 PPG 4.0 RPG 0.8 APG
  • G Donte DiVincenzo
    24.1 MPG 10.4 PPG 0.0 RPG 0.0 APG

Chicago Bulls

Projected Starters
  • F Caleb Wilson
    30.7 MPG 18.9 PPG 6.2 RPG 1.9 APG
  • G Josh Giddey
    27.7 MPG 10.2 PPG 4.6 RPG 8.3 APG
  • G Norman Powell
    28.9 MPG 19.2 PPG 2.5 RPG 1.6 APG
  • F Matas Buzelis
    26.3 MPG 13.5 PPG 4.3 RPG 2.0 APG
  • F-C Jalen Smith
    23.9 MPG 12.8 PPG 7.4 RPG 1.9 APG
Key Bench
  • G-F Isaac Okoro
    19.1 MPG 5.2 PPG 1.4 RPG 1.4 APG
  • G Tre Jones
    18.7 MPG 10.6 PPG 2.5 RPG 2.9 APG
  • F Patrick Williams
    24.3 MPG 6.7 PPG 3.3 RPG 3.0 APG

OptimaGoal power & pace ratings

Full NBA power ratings

Neutral-court net point rating and 48-minute tempo rank across all 30 NBA franchises.

Minnesota Timberwolves

#9 of 30
Net rating +3.3 30d: 0.0
Pace: -0.2 (#4 of 30)

Chicago Bulls

#27 of 30
Net rating -5.1 30d: +0.9
Pace: 2.3 (#2 of 30)

OptimaGoal tactical & efficiency profile (0–100)

Original 0–100 indices built from each team's last 10 played games before tip-off.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Net 81
Shot quality (TS%) 59
3PT volume & accuracy 58
Ball security & passing 27
Rebounding control 55
Defensive disruption 78

ORtg 114.3 · DRtg 103.4 · Net +11.0 · TS 59.1%

Chicago Bulls

Net 12
Shot quality (TS%) 31
3PT volume & accuracy 31
Ball security & passing 29
Rebounding control 39
Defensive disruption 37

ORtg 106.4 · DRtg 121.0 · Net -14.6 · TS 55.1%

Minnesota Timberwolves · Record vs point differential Stronger profile than W-L (bounce candidate) 9W actual vs 10.1W expected (12 GP)
Chicago Bulls · Record vs point differential W-L record aligned with point differential 1W actual vs 1.4W expected (10 GP)

Halftime splits & clutch profile

Game-state outcomes and half-by-half scoring share over the last 15 games.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Win rate when leading at HT 9/11 (82%)
Comeback wins when trailing at HT 0/3 (0%)
Scoring split (1H vs 2H)
1H: 58.2 (49.8%) 2H: 58.6 (50.2%)
Clutch (≤5 pts / OT): 1-2 10+ pt margins: 8-3

Chicago Bulls

Win rate when leading at HT 2/5 (40%)
Comeback wins when trailing at HT 1/10 (10%)
Scoring split (1H vs 2H)
1H: 57.1 (49.8%) 2H: 57.7 (50.2%)
Clutch (≤5 pts / OT): 0-2 10+ pt margins: 2-8

Scoring environment and threshold hit counts across the last 10 games.

MINCHI
Points scored / game 118.6 113.3
Points allowed / game 107.2 128.8
Average game total 225.8 242.1
Average 1st-half total 111.4 123.4
Possessions / 48 min 102.7 106.5
Games with 220+ pts 7/10 10/10
Games with 230+ pts 3/10 9/10
Games with 240+ pts 1/10 6/10
Scored 115+ pts 7/10 5/10

Schedule density & travel spot

Rest days, multi-game compression and current home/road stretch entering tip-off.

Minnesota Timberwolves

1 day rest
2 in 4 nights 2 in 6 nights Homestand · Game 3

Chicago Bulls

0 days (Back-to-back)
2 in 4 nights 2 in 6 nights Road trip · Game 1

Primary offensive threats

Available rotation leaders by scoring and shot share over the last 10 games.

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • #1 LaMelo Ball G 16.0% pts share
    19.0 PPG · 3.2 RPG · 6.4 APG · 3.6 3PM 15.6% FGA
  • #2 Ayo Dosunmu G 15.8% pts share
    18.7 PPG · 4.4 RPG · 3.2 APG · 2.1 3PM 15.3% FGA
  • #3 Jaden McDaniels F 14.4% pts share
    17.1 PPG · 6.2 RPG · 3.9 APG · 1.3 3PM 15.3% FGA

Chicago Bulls

  • #1 Josh Giddey G 9.0% pts share
    10.2 PPG · 4.6 RPG · 8.3 APG · 1.0 3PM 10.4% FGA
  • #2 Caleb Wilson F 16.7% pts share
    18.9 PPG · 6.2 RPG · 1.9 APG · 2.3 3PM 18.2% FGA
  • #3 Norman Powell G 16.9% pts share
    19.2 PPG · 2.5 RPG · 1.6 APG · 2.1 3PM 14.4% FGA

Last five games

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • W 133-94 vs Dallas Mavericks (H) 13 Nov
  • W 115-100 vs Utah Jazz (H) 9 Nov
  • W 115-109 at New Orleans Pelicans (A) 7 Nov
  • W 117-107 at Houston Rockets (A) 5 Nov
  • W 112-100 vs Milwaukee Bucks (H) 3 Nov

Chicago Bulls

  • L 119-124 vs San Antonio Spurs (H) 12 Nov
  • L 121-127 vs Philadelphia 76ers (H) 8 Nov
  • L 105-135 at New York Knicks (A) 5 Nov
  • L 107-126 at Philadelphia 76ers (A) 3 Nov
  • L 111-125 at Boston Celtics (A) 30 Oct

Most recent first, all games of the season, overtime included.

Last 10 head-to-head meetings

MIN · 4W CHI · 6W
Avg total pts: 246.9 MIN avg: 126.0 CHI avg: 120.9 225+ pt games: 9/10 MIN at home: 2-3
  • 22 Jan 2026 MIN 115‑120 CHI
  • 29 Dec 2025 CHI 101‑136 MIN
  • 5 Feb 2025 MIN 127‑108 CHI
  • 7 Nov 2024 CHI 119‑135 MIN
  • 31 Mar 2024 MIN 101‑109 CHI
  • 6 Feb 2024 CHI 129‑123 (OT) MIN
  • 17 Mar 2023 CHI 139‑131 (2OT) MIN
  • 18 Dec 2022 MIN 150‑126 CHI
  • 10 Apr 2022 MIN 120‑124 CHI
  • 11 Feb 2022 CHI 134‑122 MIN

Season profile comparison

MINCHI
Record 9-3 1-9
At home 5-1 0-4
On the road 4-2 1-5
Conference 4 of 15, Western Conference 14 of 15, Eastern Conference
Streak Won 5 in a row Lost 5 in a row
Days of rest 1 0 (second night of a back-to-back)
Our team rating #9 of 30 #27 of 30
Pace #4 of 30 #1 of 30

Inter-conference matchup — both conference tables shown with Play-off (#6) and Play-in (#10) cut lines.

Western Conference standings

Full NBA standings
# Team W L PCT GB Home Road L10 Streak
1 Los Angeles Lakers 11 2 .846 – 5-1 6-1 8-2 W7
2 San Antonio Spurs 10 2 .833 0.5 4-2 6-0 10-0 W10
3 Houston Rockets 9 3 .750 1.5 6-1 3-2 7-3 W2
4 Minnesota Timberwolves 9 3 .750 1.5 5-1 4-2 7-3 W5
5 Portland Trail Blazers 8 3 .727 2.0 3-2 5-1 7-3 W2
6 Golden State Warriors 8 4 .667 2.5 6-1 2-3 8-2 L1
7 Oklahoma City Thunder 8 4 .667 2.5 5-0 3-4 6-4 L2
8 Memphis Grizzlies 7 4 .636 3.0 2-4 5-0 6-4 L1
9 Denver Nuggets 6 4 .600 3.5 3-2 3-2 6-4 W1
10 Dallas Mavericks 7 5 .583 3.5 5-2 2-3 6-4 L1
11 Phoenix Suns 5 6 .455 5.0 5-3 0-3 5-5 W2
12 New Orleans Pelicans 4 8 .333 6.5 3-4 1-4 4-6 L4
13 LA Clippers 2 8 .200 7.5 2-3 0-5 2-8 L1
14 Sacramento Kings 1 10 .091 9.0 0-6 1-4 1-9 L4
15 Utah Jazz 1 11 .083 9.5 1-6 0-5 0-10 L10

Solid cut lines mark Top 6 (direct Play-offs) and Top 10 (Play-in Tournament).

Eastern Conference standings

Full NBA standings
# Team W L PCT GB Home Road L10 Streak
1 Boston Celtics 10 2 .833 – 5-0 5-2 9-1 W5
2 Philadelphia 76ers 10 3 .769 0.5 5-2 5-1 7-3 W1
3 Detroit Pistons 8 3 .727 1.5 3-2 5-1 7-3 W2
4 Atlanta Hawks 7 5 .583 3.0 3-3 4-2 5-5 L1
5 New York Knicks 6 5 .545 3.5 4-3 2-2 6-4 L1
6 Cleveland Cavaliers 6 6 .500 4.0 4-2 2-4 5-5 W1
7 Miami Heat 5 6 .455 4.5 1-3 4-3 5-5 W2
8 Toronto Raptors 5 7 .417 5.0 2-3 3-4 3-7 L3
9 Orlando Magic 4 7 .364 5.5 0-4 4-3 4-6 W2
10 Charlotte Hornets 4 8 .333 6.0 3-4 1-4 3-7 L1
11 Indiana Pacers 4 8 .333 6.0 1-4 3-4 3-7 W1
12 Washington Wizards 4 9 .308 6.5 2-3 2-6 2-8 L6
13 Brooklyn Nets 3 8 .273 6.5 1-3 2-5 3-7 W1
14 Chicago Bulls 1 9 .100 8.0 0-4 1-5 1-9 L8
15 Milwaukee Bucks 1 11 .083 9.0 1-6 0-5 1-9 L8

Solid cut lines mark Top 6 (direct Play-offs) and Top 10 (Play-in Tournament).

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