Coby White, Josh Giddey Lead Bulls Past Timberwolves in Gritty Revenge Win
The Chicago Bulls weren’t just looking for a win Thursday night - they were hunting for redemption. And thanks to Coby White’s late-game poise and Josh Giddey’s steady return, they got exactly that, gutting out a 120-115 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that had all the tension and tempo of a playoff bout.
With the clock ticking under 35 seconds, White inbounded the ball to Tre Jones, who took matters into his own hands. Jones attacked the paint with purpose, slipping past defenders and challenging Rudy Gobert at the rim. The 7-foot-1 anchor of Minnesota’s defense hesitated, and that was all Jones needed to finish a decisive layup - a dagger that helped seal Chicago’s third straight win and pull them back to .500 on the season.
But this wasn’t a one-man show. The Bulls got a much-needed spark from Josh Giddey, who returned to the lineup for the first time since limping off the court in a blowout loss to these same Timberwolves back in December. Giddey looked refreshed and composed, finishing with 21 points, six boards, and five assists in a balanced team effort that saw seven Bulls score in double figures.
White led the charge with 22 points, adding four rebounds and four assists, and made big plays when it mattered most - including a clutch three in the final minute that pulled Chicago within one.
On the other side, Julius Randle was a force, dropping 30 points, while Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid each added 20. Minnesota came out hot with an 11-3 run to open the game, capitalizing on Chicago’s early defensive lapses. The Bulls, however, didn’t flinch.
Giddey checked in midway through the first quarter and wasted no time making an impact. He floated in a soft touch shot to help cut the deficit, then drove hard to the rim minutes later to keep the Bulls within striking distance. Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams chipped in with key buckets, and by the end of the first, Chicago had trimmed the gap, though Minnesota still held a 32-26 edge thanks to timely threes from Jaden McDaniels and Reid.
The second quarter turned into a back-and-forth showcase between Giddey and Edwards. Edwards threw down a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd to its feet, but Giddey answered with a contested drive, then a highlight-reel and-one layup that swung momentum back to Chicago. Even so, Minnesota kept punching back, rebuilding a 10-point lead midway through the frame.
That’s when the Bulls’ bench got going. White returned and immediately went to work drawing contact and collapsing the defense.
He found Isaac Okoro wide open in the corner for a three, and that started a flurry. Ayo Dosunmu, Matas Buzelis, and Okoro combined for three more triples, slicing the lead to four.
Buzelis added a fastbreak dunk, and suddenly the Bulls were within two.
Minnesota tried to reassert control after a timeout, with Edwards drilling a step-back three and McDaniels hitting a jumper. But White buried a deep three of his own, and Giddey - relentless on the glass - turned a missed free throw into a three-point play that gave Chicago its first lead of the night. The Timberwolves clung to a one-point edge at halftime, but the tide was clearly shifting.
Randle opened the third quarter with a quick four points, and Donte DiVincenzo beat the buzzer from deep to give Minnesota a six-point cushion. But the Bulls didn’t blink. Okoro forced a steal and scored in transition, Vucevic knocked down a three, and White and Williams combined for four points to swing the lead back to Chicago.
Minnesota, which had hit eight threes in the first quarter, suddenly went cold from deep. By the midway point of the third, they’d added just three more.
DiVincenzo finally snapped the drought, but Jones answered with four points of his own. Giddey, still on a minutes restriction, made the most of his time, finding Dosunmu for a wide-open corner three that gave the Bulls a 93-90 lead heading into the fourth.
Kevin Huerter, seeing limited action, made his presence felt immediately with a three. He followed it up by feeding Buzelis for another corner bomb, and Jalen Smith joined the party with a triple of his own. Just like that, Chicago had a five-point lead.
But Minnesota wasn’t done. Edwards hit a tough fadeaway, and the Timberwolves went on a blistering 11-0 run, capped by Gobert’s and-one putback and a thunderous Reid dunk. The Bulls went ice-cold, and suddenly they were staring at a six-point deficit with under three minutes to play.
White finally broke the drought with a layup, and Jones followed with a determined drive to cut it to one. White then drew a crucial charge on Randle - a savvy veteran move - but moments later, he gave it back with a traveling violation. Edwards capitalized with a driving layup to push the lead back to three.
Still, the Bulls weren’t rattled. Giddey stayed aggressive, finding Smith cutting for a clean bucket.
Then came White’s biggest shot of the night - a contested three that brought Chicago within one in the final minute. After Jones’ clutch layup, the Bulls played the foul game to perfection, closing out a statement win on the road.
This wasn’t just a win. It was a message. The Bulls, with Giddey back in the fold and White continuing to evolve into a late-game shotmaker, showed they can go toe-to-toe with one of the West’s toughest teams - and come out on top.