Takeaways: Naz Reid scores 33 points off the bench as Timberwolves waltz past Bulls 136-101

CHICAGO − As the Timberwolves players marched in the back hallway of United Center, Anthony Edwards already had ice bags on his knees and was getting in a postgame weightlifting session.

He went out to the hallway and congratulated each teammate as they walked by on a Monday night the team didn’t need him or any regular contributors for much of the fourth quarter in a 136-101 rout of the Bulls, who lost both starting guards, Coby White and Josh Giddey, to injury during the game.

The Wolves trailed after one but started making shots in the second quarter. They hit 54% for the evening with Naz Reid coming up one point short of a career high with 33 points.

Edwards finished with 23 points while Julius Randle had 17 points and 14 assists, the latter his most with the Wolves in a game.

The Wolves entered the game after losing two straight, including a loss to the Nets on Saturday that was their most lifeless performance of the season. While they struggled to hit shots in the first quarter, coach Chris Finch liked the energy they had — they were just missing shots.

“We talked a lot about helping each other more, as a defense,” Finch said. “We just talked a lot about being able to buy our teammates enough time to recover from a bad situation and help, and that was really a lot of what today’s film session was, even more so than preparing for Chicago.”

Their challenge is to play with that consistency on a night-to-night and quarter-to-quarter basis, something they have not done. But after a loss that had a lot of bad energy, the Wolves had an injection of good vibes in the first game of a four-game road trip.

Added Edwards: “I mean, it’s one game, so hopefully we can carry that over to the next game, too.”

When the Wolves (21-12) were struggling to make shots early, Reid was one of the only players to have it going. He had eight of their 21 first-quarter points, then he took off in the second half after scoring 20 points or more just once in the previous 17 games.

“I was trying to be aggressive, do what I do,” Reid said. “I just kind of got a different mindset than I had last year. Just got to stay with it, whether I’m making a shot or missing shots.”

Edwards took just one shot attempt and two free throws during the first quarter. When he checked back in halfway through the second quarter, he was more aggressive to hunt his shot. He drove to the hoop then hit a pair of threes on his first three possessions. With him back in it, the Wolves turned a nine-point deficit into a lead with a 15-2 run. They led 55-50.

When asked how much of the team’s energy level he feels he can dictate with his own, Edwards said: “I try to be that for us, but sometimes, of course, I don’t have it, but that’s where I got to get better. I got to bring the energy every game, whether it’s me putting the ball in the basket, whether it’s me defending, being early, low man, whatever it is. ... Always bring energy every night.”