The Wolves shake off the slow start and use the fourth quarter momentum to defeat the Bulls

Julius Randle fought his way to the basket for a layup, giving the Timberwolves their first lead since the first quarter.

Anthony Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Minnesota up 113-106 with 5 minutes, 59 seconds to play. The Wolves parlayed that run into a 135-119 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at the United Center in Chicago, putting a difficult start on defense behind them. Minnesota lost three games to the Bulls.

Continuing the run in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert had an emphatic dunk, a foul and a free throw. Edwards had a layup in transition. And Jaden McDaniels, who had struggled early in the season, hit a 3. After trailing by as many as 12 points early on, the Wolves had an 11-point lead in the final minutes.

McDaniels shook off the rust that had plagued him through the first seven games of the season. He drilled a 3 for the game’s opening points and finished with 19 points on 6-for-7 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, Gobert continued to impress offensively. Mike Conley found him for a lob, Gobert was active on the offensive glass, and after his emphatic dunk and free throw got them within the nine, he made a layup and drew another foul later in the fourth by hitting the ensuing free throw to put the ball in the goal The Wolves have a record of 126-112. Gobert finished with 21 points and nine boards.

Edwards continued to do Edwards things. He made five 3s, including the dagger that put the Wolves (5-3) up 131-114 with 1 minute, 48 seconds to play, and finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Randle had 22 and 10.

By the fourth quarter, the shaky start seemed like a distant memory. The Bulls (3-6) got off to a hot start, hitting six of their eight 3-point attempts in the first quarter. They built a lead of as many as 12 and took a 65-56 lead at halftime.

Nikola Vucevic was one of the main reasons for this. The Wolves lost track of him at times from the 3-point arc and he knocked down three shots from distance. Vucevic scored a team-high 25 points. Coby White made four three-pointers and finished the game with 24 and eight assists.

But the Wolves were able to reduce their deficit to five by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth period it became less and less until Randle gave the go-ahead shot and Edwards hit two three-pointers. From there, Minnesota was able to pull off a convincing victory.