The Bulls came into their contest with Minnesota minus a big man, with All-Star Joakim Noah missing the contest with an illness.
The Wolves were down a center as well midway through the first-quarter, as Nikola Pekovic left the floor with a sore Achilles, returning to the bench soon after but not to game action.
In Pek’s absence, backup center Ronny Turiaf filled the hole in the middle, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds to help Minnesota to a 95-86 win.
Kevin Love paced Minnesota, scoring 31 points, the 11th time he’s reached 30 this season, while also grabbing eight rebounds.
All of Chicago’s starters reached double-figures, but shot just 37 percent from the field.
Minnesota returns to Target Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday, looking to break their 10 game, season-long losing streak when attempting to get above .500.
