Timberwolves, driven by Anthony Edwards’ 49 points, roll over Bulls

At practice Tuesday, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch showed his team how much worse they were in various statistical categories at home than they were on the road.

The Wolves entered Wednesday’s game against a shorthanded Chicago team 12-12 at Target Center, with the emphasis being they needed to take care of business in a game they should win.

Even after jumping out to a 21-point lead, the Wolves let their foot off the gas and fell behind by five. But Anthony Edwards came to the rescue in a 127-108 Wolves win.

After curing himself of an illness that kept him out Saturday and affected him Monday, Edwards posted 49 points and had nine rebounds. His stat line included 20 points in a third quarter that was back and forth as the Wolves’ suddenly leaky defense allowed 90 points to Chicago through three quarters.

“The way we are right now, we need these big nights from him,” coach Chris Finch said.

That’s because the Wolves are missing Julius Randle a little more than fans thought they might. Randle has missed three games with a right adductor strain that will keep him out at least another two weeks, the team said. The Wolves are already down Donte DiVincenzo until the All-Star break as well, and the youth Finch has finally been forced to deploy off the bench has been inconsistent in terms of scoring. Edwards made up for it Wednesday.

“He got it going,” Naz Reid said. “He got hot and we all know when he gets hot, it’s pretty electrifying in front of the home crowd. He took off in the third quarter.”

Edwards helped the Wolves stay ahead in the third before their defense locked up the Bulls for a 33-18 fourth quarter to make Wednesday a comfortable win.

“That’s all the coaches been telling us this past week — we terrible at home,” Edwards said. “We bring all this energy on road and away games. We don’t bring it at home. I definitely wanted to bring some today.”

BOXSCORE: Wolves 127, Bulls 108

NBA standings

That was after he didn’t have a full tank in Monday’s loss to Sacramento because of his illness, which also caused him to miss the loss to Washington on Saturday, a night the Wolves also missed the presence of Reid, who is getting over a sprained finger suffered in that defeat. Reid had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Wednesday.

The Wolves had 35 second-chance points, easily a season high. Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 15 rebounds, nine of those coming on the offensive end.

Gobert echoed what Finch has told the team in recent days, that they can’t afford to give away any more games. Their margin for error the rest of the season is gone. Playing better at home has to be more of a priority.

“When we looked at the numbers the other day, I didn’t think it was that crazy, but the defensive numbers are insane,” Gobert said. “A lot of it could be a recovery routine. I don’t see what else it could be. I don’t think it’s the crowd. I don’t think it’s the floor. It’s our mental and physical state when we start the game.”

They had a better start — a 21-point first-quarter lead — before they gave it all away. Then Edwards made sure this night didn’t turn into another disaster. The only question was whether Edwards was going to get the third 50-point game of his career. He missed a free throw (he was 17-for-18) and multiple layups late in an attempt to get there.

“I’mma get on him for that,” Reid joked.

But Edwards wasn’t sweating it. The Wolves won. There will be other times to get 50.

“It’s not frustrating,” Edwards said. “It’s a game, I’m 23. If God let me, I should be to play for at least 10 more years until I’m 33, and if I’m as good as I think, I should be able to get 50 points. So, I wanted to get 50, but it’s not like, ‘Aw, man.’ I’ll be all right.”

Over the weekend, the Wolves cleared Terrence Shannon Jr. for full-contact practices after he recovered from a foot injury. With the Wolves down Donte DiVincenzo and Randle, playing time is up for grabs on a nightly basis off the bench. Finch said Shannon was “close” to earning minutes.

“He looks great,” Finch said. “Plays with a lot of force, physicality, something we need back in the lineup somehow with Julius out. … He’s ready to go. I would say he’s close to breaking through.”