All the cards were stacked against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, but that news clearly didn't make it to the locker room.

After winning only the second game of the season on Friday night, the Bulls stunned fans at the Target Center with a 117-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not only was it the backend of a back-to-back after an OT battle, but it was also a game where the Bulls were missing some critical frontcourt players. Both Jalen Smith and Nic Claxton were ruled out ahead of tip-off.

On top of that, the Timberwolves came into the matchup with the highest defensive rating in the league. They had not allowed more than 109 points in five straight games and were forcing opponents to shoot the third-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA.

All signs pointed toward this being an easy win for the Timberwolves, but the Bulls deserve a lot of credit for making it a good old-fashioned trap game.

Bench Leads the Way

When the Chicago Bulls pulled off their first win of the season in Milwaukee, it was largely their veteran bench that sealed the deal. And this shocking Saturday night victory was no different.

The Bulls finished the night with a 50-33 advantage in bench points. Patrick Williams, Buddy Hield, and Tre Jones each scored 14+ points and combined for an 18-28 shooting effort from the field. Meanwhile, Leonard Miller added some surprise value as a ball-mover, finishing with 4 assists.

Williams and Hield proved to be particularly impactful in the second straight victory for Chicago. The former played arguably his most confident game yet. We watched him drill some impressive jumpers, as well as have a couple of very strong and aggressive finishes in the paint. His biggest bucket of the night came in crunch time, when he drained a game-icing three to put the Bulls up 116-106 with just over a minute to go.

After starting the season as the lowest man on the totem pole and stacking up DNP-CDs, the last few games for Williams have been extremely impressive.

Patrick Williams tonight vs. Minnesota:

🏀 14 PTS
🏀 5 REB
🏀 3 STL
🏀 1 BLK

25 minutes off the bench to help seal the W 👀 pic.twitter.com/bgi8jybpuu

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) November 15, 2026

As for Hield, he did what he does best. The sharpshooter went 4-6 from behind the arc for his best shooting night as a Bull thus far. It only felt like a matter of time before the long-range shots started to fall for the Bulls, and they have now followed up a night where they drained 20 threes with a strong 14-30 effort from deep.

T-Wolves Lend a Helping Hand

When you're 2-9 facing one of the best teams in the NBA, you're going to need a little help to pull off the upset. And LaMelo Ball reached out his hand tonight.

As great as the former Hornets guard has been for the Timberwolves, he had an extremely off night shooting the rock. Ball finished with 7-25 from the field, which included a staggering 4-19 performance from behind the arc. He would toss up nine of those three-point attempts in the fourth quarter alone.

All things considered, this decision-making by Ball helped keep the Bulls in front. Attacking the paint was working pretty well for Minnesota in the third quarter as they clawed their way back into the game. Old friend Ayo Dosunmu led the way in that department, scoring 14 points in the frame.

Rudy Gobert also failed to make a meaningful impact. The big man may not be known as an offensive force, but he had a fantastic opportunity with both Nic Claxton and Jalen Smith on the sideline. How did he respond? Gobert had just a single point on 0-7 shooting from the field.

The Timberwolves' starting center had some very lackadaisical attempts near the rim and was bothered at times by the Bulls' active hands inside. The big man played just 27 minutes – the fewest of any Minnesota starter.