Wow, Chicago beat the T-Wolves!

[ALVAREZ6]

im impressed.

KG even had 21 rebounds.....

[ALVAREZ6]

CHICAGO, Dec. 11 (Ticker) -- Rookie Ben Gordon and the Chicago Bulls looked a lot sharper against the powerful Minnesota Timberwolves then they did one day earlier vs. the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.

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Gordon scored 16 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls held off the Timberwolves, 99-88, to snap a 10-game skid in the series.

Kirk Hinrich collected 19 points, a season-high 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who had lost four of their previous five games, including a 93-88 home setback to Philadelphia on Friday.

Gordon scored just four points in 14 minutes in that one but had 15 in the first half to help Chicago open a 59-41 advantage.

"I don't know, I just felt it tonight," Gordon said. "Coach (Scott Skiles) put me in the last few minutes in the first quarter and I just had a hot hand. It just carried on throughout the game. I felt like I was back at UConn."

Minnesota, which trailed by as many as 24 points in the first half, pulled within 75-74 on a 3-pointer by Troy Hudson with 10:18 remaining.

But Bulls rookie Andres Nocioni countered with a jumper and Gordon added 10 straight Chicago points to open an 87-76 cushion with 5:23 to play. Minnesota got no closer than five points thereafter.

"Ben is a shooter, a scorer," Skiles said. "He is a typical rookie, not talent-wise -- he is way above the typical rookie in talent -- but he has been up and down a little bit. He shows plenty of glimpses of what his talent is all about. He can be an explosive scorer."

"In the beginning of the year, I was just trying to find my way out," Gordon said. "I am starting to come along now. But I still have a lot of learning to do and things I can get better at. But I am a lot more comfortable now."

Sam Cassell scored 17 points and reigning league MVP Kevin Garnett chipped in 16 and a season high-tying 21 rebounds for Minnesota, which had a five-game road winning streak snapped.

"It was unexpected, but these things happen," Garnett said. "We didn't hit our shots and they came out aggressive from the start. We dug ourselves into about a 25-point deficit and it was just too deep."

Chicago shot 46 percent (39-of-84) and limited Minnesota to 36 percent (33-of-92).

The Bulls never trailed. They held a 9-7 edge just over four minutes into the game before closing the quarter on a 24-12 run.

"I told our guys, 'If you come out with no energy in games like this, you're in for a hell of a fight,'" Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "We didn't do that tonight and they played with a lot of confidence."

Gordon scored 10 points, Eddy Curry eight of his 13 and Hinrich seven in the period.

"We were not aggressive in the first half like we were in the second," Garnett said. "We slowed Hinrich and Curry and then Gordon took off. He seemed to be the hot hand and we didn't adjust."