LaVine scores 25 points, Bulls beat Timberwolves 117-110

Zach LaVine scored 25 points, Lauri Markkanen added 21 and the Chicago Bulls overcame a big performance by Karl-Anthony Towns to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-110 on Wednesday night.

LaVine had seven points in the final 2:25 to help Chicago pull out the win after letting a 19-point lead in the second quarter slip away.

His 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining put the Bulls ahead for good at 111-108. LaVine then hit two free throws with 26 seconds left. Kris Dunn sank four more foul shots and the Bulls came out on top after losing nine of 12.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, right, goes up for a shot against Chicago Bulls forward Luke Kornet during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

Towns scored a season-high 40 points, but the Timberwolves lost their seventh straight.

LaVine, pushing for a spot in the All-Star Game next month in Chicago, hit three 3-pointers. Markkanen nailed four from beyond the arc. Luke Kornet scored 15 to match a season high, and Cristiano Felicio added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Towns dominated in his fourth game back after missing 15 because of a sprained left knee. The two-time All-Star made 16 of 24 shots, going 4 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, left, shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Luke Kornet during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points — all but three in the second half. Shabazz Napier added 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Timberwolves tied it at 66 midway through the third quarter on Gorgui Dieng's 3-pointer and grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes when Wiggins nailed a 3 to make it 69-68. The teams kept trading leads until the closing minutes.

Towns, coming off a 28-point effort against Denver on Monday, scored 12 of Minnesota's first 14. But that didn't stop the Bulls from going up by 19 in the first half.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, left, drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

They scored 11 straight late in the opening quarter to go ahead by 14, then went on a 14-3 run early in the second. Coby White capped that spurt with a layup to make it 49-30 with 5:41 left, but Minnesota pulled within seven at halftime.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Have not won since beating Portland on Jan. 9.

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen points as he calls his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

Bulls: Had lost three straight to the Timberwolves.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host Houston on Friday.

Bulls: Host Sacramento on Friday.

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robert Covington (33) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, center, goes up for a dunk past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Josh Okogie during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (AP PhotoNam Y. Huh)