(SportsNetwork.com) – The collective hearts of Chicago Bulls’ fans sank on
Friday night when Derrick Rose went down with a leg injury against the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
They can breathe slightly easier Saturday.
“Don’t worry, it’s just an ankle sprain,” Rose said after a 114-108 overtime
home loss. “I guess it’s part of the process. Of course the gods are testing
me right now, but it’s fine. I think I’ll be able to get through it.”
Rose believes he might even give it a go Saturday night when his Bulls visit
the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
The former MVP scored 18 points in the first half against LeBron James, Kevin
Love, Kyrie Irving and company. He injured the ankle and only managed two
points in the third quarter before leaving the game for good.
Rose and Kirk Hinrich, starting in place of Jimmy Butler, who missed his
second straight with a thumb injury, each had 20 for the Bulls. Pau Gasol
netted 15 points with nine boards and six blocks, and Mike Dunleavy added 14
points in the setback.
Aaron Brooks chipped in 11 off the bench, while Taj Gibson and Tony Snell both
scored 10.
James scored the first eight points for Cleveland in overtime and the Bulls
never truly recovered.
The Bulls shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from beyond the 3-
point arc. They outshot the Cavs, but 20 turnovers and a 10-point deficit on
the boards hurt Chicago.
The Wolves dropped their season-opener Wednesday in Memphis, 105-101. One
night later, Minnesota captured its home opener, 97-91, over the Detroit
Pistons.
Against Detroit, Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the
Timberwolves. Thaddeus Young posted 19 points, Ricky Rubio supplied 11 points
and eight assists and Mo Williams added 13 points and four assists for
Minnesota.
“Good win overall, I thought that we played pretty good defense for most of
the game. Played hard, played aggressive,” Wolves head coach Flip Saunders
said.
Kevin Martin scored 12 points off the bench in his first action of the season.
He missed the Grizzlies’ game due to a sore ankle. It’s unknown if Martin will
return to the starting lineup, where he was a fixture last season.
Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft, has started in
Martin’s absence and has averaged 7.0 ppg in his first two games as a
professional.
Minnesota hits the road next week with visits scheduled in Brooklyn, Orlando
and Miami.
The Timberwolves bested the Bulls in Chicago on Jan. 27 and snapped a seven-
game losing streak in the series. The Bulls won in Minnesota later in the
season and have taken five consecutive as the visitor in this series.
