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By Aman Sharma
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LaMelo Ball blamed a lack of respect for the opponent after the Minnesota Timberwolves fell 117-106 at home to the Chicago Bulls.
The loss ended Minnesota’s run of five straight wins and dropped the Wolves to 9-4 against a 2-9 Chicago team that entered as a 16-point underdog while playing for the second straight night.
With Anthony Edwards expected to miss two months following knee surgery, Minnesota has little room for off nights. The Bulls flew in on game day because of the Federal Aviation Administration shutdown, reaching their hotel under six hours before tipoff.
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Ball didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I think just not really respecting our opponent,” Ball said.
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Word of Chicago’s travel trouble, he said, led some teammates to ease up.
“But that’s when you’re really just supposed to hit. They just hit first,” Ball added.
Minnesota trailed 29-17 after one quarter and missed its first 13 attempts from beyond the arc. The Wolves finished 9-for-38 from 3, a 24% clip.
Ball had four steals and 19 points but shot 7-for-25 overall and 4-for-19 from deep. Coach Chris Finch wants the guard to keep trusting his shot, though he saw “plenty of opportunities to get to the paint” go unused.
“We came out just trying to hoist up 3s, hoping that they would go in,” Finch said. “They were so-so shots.”
Rudy Gobert went 0-for-7, his fourth game this season with no made field goals. Before this year, he’d done that six times in 13 seasons.
Jonathan Kuminga shot 3-for-10, and a Minnesota team that entered leading the league in rebounding lost the glass 48-43 while surrendering 11 offensive boards.
Ayo Dosunmu poured in 24 points against his old club, and Jaden McDaniels contributed 18 points while shooting 7-for-11. Norman Powell paced Chicago with 23 points. Patrick Williams chipped in 15 points and six rebounds as a reserve, while Buddy Hield shot 4-for-6 from 3.
All four Minnesota losses have come on nights Ball struggled. That stands out, given his production without Edwards: 20.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals over eight games, plus a career-best 105 defensive rating, well below the 114 he’s averaged across seven seasons.
Ball figures getting “our heads busted in” should leave the Wolves sharper. They’ll find out quickly, with a home-and-home set against the Portland Trail Blazers up next before the reigning champion New York Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns visit.
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