Have yourself a night, Chicago, Josh Giddey is back!
And he looks good.
With a big win over the same team against whom Giddey suffered his hamstring strain, the Bulls are now riding a three-game win streak and are back to .500. The offense looked fluid with him on the floor, even in limited minutes. And I’m happy the rest of the cast was able to fit around him like water in a jar.
Matas once again saw no minutes in the clutch. I know the five the Bulls closed with were strong, but you have to let your other young star pick up clutch experience against good teams when the opportunity is there. That’s the only way he’s going to get better, faster.
Big road dub in Minnesota ?️?️?️ pic.twitter.com/ISIapRJxbR
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Next up is the Derrick Rose jersey retirement game. The Bulls need to beat Boston and make sure the night is memorable for all the right reasons.
First Half: Welcome Back, Josh Giddey!
An 11–3 start for Minnesota was not how the Bulls wanted to kick things off tonight. The Timberwolves’ sheer size and their ability to defend and deter shots kept Chicago stuck in single digits deep into the first quarter. The cold Minneapolis air seemed to follow the Bulls inside as well, as they opened the game shooting just 2-of-13 from the field and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Even more telling, Chicago failed to score a single point in the paint, an unthinkable stat for a team that averages the third-most paint points per game. Zero.
Having Josh Giddey back was a blessing for Chicago, leading the head of the snake that sparked a 12–0 run to pull the Bulls right back into the game. Minnesota still held a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
One quarter in.Giddey: 8pts pic.twitter.com/sVjaRPWMWI
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Josh Giddey was owning the paint. He scored 13 points in his first six minutes. If the math is right—and he’s limited to just 24 minutes tonight, that comes out to about 52 points. Man, would I love for that to happen. And as soon as he went out, the Timberwolves ballooned the lead back up to a dozen.
Giddey with the crafty finish!@joshgiddey | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/LrAwXnS3v6
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026The Bulls managed to force Anthony Edwards into foul trouble and still couldn’t take advantage. Jalen Smith, one of my favorite players on the team recently, picked up three early fouls of his own and was even getting crossed up by Julius Randle. Just a ton of pressure on him, especially against a team with so many quality bigs.
The starters finally gave a bit of a push, ripping off another 8–0 run to make it a one-possession game again. Minnesota’s offensive rebounding, though, made sure Chicago never fully grabbed control.
That is, until Giddey checked back in and took the lead. He played so well in the first half that it really hit me how much I’d missed the Aussie guard and his fun, free-flowing offense. Bulls down one at the half.
Down one at the break.Giddey: 18pts pic.twitter.com/Ud0o1cIUdA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Chicago Bulls Player of the Half: Josh Giddey – 18 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.
Welcome back, @joshgiddey ‼️Giddey has 18 first-half points in his first game since Dec. 29! pic.twitter.com/vdzEG251tm
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Second Half: Tre Seals the Win!
This quarter finally started on equal footing, with both teams trading buckets. Chicago carved out a small advantage, a three-point lead, their largest to that point. Bulls fans might want to stay off Timberwolves Twitter, because Minnesota wasn’t thrilled with the advantage Chicago had at the charity stripe. The Bulls’ aggressive play was getting rewarded.
Bulls have shot 22 FTs, already above their season average of 21.6 per game, which ranks 26th in league
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 23, 2026Giddey had zero assists at the half, uncharacteristic for a guy averaging nine per game. He picked up three of them in the third quarter—just enough for the Bulls to hang onto that three-point lead heading into the final frame.
+3 after 3.Giddey: 20pts pic.twitter.com/yrJaMhCGEa
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Even though the fourth quarter still required both teams to fight for every bucket, Kevin, Jalen, and Buzelis hit big threes early to give the Bulls their largest lead of the night at seven. It didn’t last long, but it was there.
A couple of times tonight, 6’11 Naz Reid found himself switched onto 6’1 Tre Jones, resulting in some of the easiest buckets you’ll ever see, with no help coming from anywhere. These kinds of lapses in judgment are all the Timberwolves need to seize the advantage their talent deserves. The Bulls have to deny them that.
© Jesse Johnson-Imagn ImagesNot even one full game back, and Josh Giddey was already needed to stretch past his minutes restriction as Chicago stagnated. Shots were being thrown up with little purpose, while Minnesota steadily took control again. Then you blink, and suddenly the Wolves are on a 13–0 run, up five with four minutes left.
Chicago went on a five-minute field goal drought before Coby White finally had to hit a tough shot to take the lid off the basket.
On a side note, I’ve always been curious who the Bulls’ final five would be in clutch moments, and seeing Matas and Ayo not make the cut raised some questions. I don’t understand why Tre, Giddey, and White all need to be on the floor at the same time, instead of one of our two best defenders. I want our young players in there. The Bulls have nothing to play for, let them learn. Please.
Regardless, the clutch stretch was absolutely an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Tre Jones, the man from Apple Valley, Minnesota, was playing defense out of his mind. Of the three guards the Wolves were reportedly interested in, Tre shone the brightest. Especially on the go-ahead bucket over Rudy Gobert. Heart over height.
Tre gives us the lead!@Tre3Jones | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/Aq7nCRORBV
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Out of all the good things the Bulls did, keeping Anthony Edwards to the least efficient 20 points possible tops the list. He missed his final two three-point attempts to tie the game. A 16–5 run by Chicago sealed it, 120–115.
Bulls win.
3 WINS IN A ROW. BEEP BEEP. pic.twitter.com/91E0Af6sqm
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Chicago Bulls Player of the Game: Josh Giddey
“I feel good,” said Josh Giddey, who looked good as well, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 7-of-13 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench.
Giddey did a little bit of everything in tonight's W ?@joshgiddey | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/QSGbogA60m
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 23, 2026Numbers to Remember
With the win over Minnesota tonight, the Bulls are back to .500 at 22–22. They’re also riding a three-game win streak, their third streak of three or more wins this season. That streak is now the second-longest active win streak in the Eastern Conference.????????HUGE win on the road in Minnesota. 3 in a row. Giddey looked great in his return. The Bulls. Are. Back.Drive home safely Chicago. BEEP BEEP! pic.twitter.com/m4Qg01SxKn
— SleeperBulls (@SleeperChicago) January 23, 2026 Tre Jones picked the pocket of Jaden McDaniels in the clutch to help seal the win for Chicago. That steal was his only one of the night, but it marked his 50th of the season. He leads the Bulls in that category and ranks inside the top 50 league-wide.Tre Jones with a steal and a forced TO in final minute. Bulls have chance to take lead out of this timeout.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 23, 2026 Chicago attempted 33 free throws and converted 27 of them—the fourth-most makes by the team in a game this season. Free points matter. The Timberwolves entered the night averaging 120 points per game while allowing 115. The final score? Chicago 120, Minnesota 115. Ironic. It’s also their fourth straight loss, dropping them to the play-in territory in the West.pic.twitter.com/CwGJZPfb5s
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 23, 2026 Anthony Edwards finished the game shooting 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, tied for his third-worst three-point shooting night of the season. For context, Edwards led the league in both three-pointers attempted and made last year.ANTHONY EDWARDS FOR THE TIE ?? pic.twitter.com/JymIhUtBMA
— Logion Noops (@LogionNoops) January 23, 2026Full Box Score
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