Bulls Claims Second Win In Two Nights, NBA Roundup

So much has changed for Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Some defensive schemes are different, and so is the playing rotation. They can count on their upgraded offense until they figure out the rest.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Nikola Mirotic had 18 and the Bulls won for the second time in two nights to open the season, beating the Brooklyn Nets 115-100 on Wednesday night.

Pau Gasol added 16 points and Rose 15 for the Bulls, who followed their season-opening victory over Cleveland by shooting 54 percent and leading by as many as 19. They built a big early lead, blew most of it with a defenseless second quarter and quickly pulled away again in the third.

The transition from Tom Thibodeau to new coach Fred Hoiberg appears seamless, though Rose insists it isn't.

"It's only two games, we always have room to improve," he said. "Do I love the way that we played these two games? Of course. We had some ups and downs, but we've still got to get better."

Brook Lopez had 26 points and Andrea Bargnani had 17. The Nets opened their 40th season in the NBA by falling into a quick 7-0 hole and trailing the rest of the way. They missed all nine 3-point attempts.

Asked how he felt about what he saw, Nets coach Lionel Hollins said: "I don't feel good about anything. We lost."

Timberwolves 112, Lakers 111

With heavy hearts and occupied minds, the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on to win one for Flip. Ricky Rubio had a career-high 28 points and 14 assists and the Timberwolves rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-111 on Wednesday night in their first game since Flip Saunders' death.

When Lou Williams somehow missed a 4-foot runner at the buzzer, Minnesota hugged and celebrated a fortunate break in a cathartic victory. Kevin Martin scored 23 points for the Timberwolves three days after they lost Saunders, the longtime coach and team president who battled Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I think we had a little help today," Rubio said. "It's been a tough week. It's hard to explain. Everybody went through a lot of pain. But even though Flip's gone, he will stay with us forever."

Saunders' recent death and a pregame moment of silence put both teams in a somber mood in their season opener. Both wore warm-up shirts honoring the coach. The Timberwolves' shirts bore the slogan "WE," while the Lakers' said "FLIP."

Minnesota led 111-102 with 2:11 left, but the Lakers finished on a 9-1 run. Williams hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to trim Minnesota's lead to one point. Martin missed a jumper before Williams missed his leaner.

Wednesday, October 28 Scoreboard

Washington 88, Orlando 87

Boston 112, Philadelphia 95

Chicago 115, Brooklyn 100

Detroit 92, Utah 87

Miami 104, Charlotte 94

Toronto 106, Indiana 99

Denver 105, Houston 85

Cleveland 106, Memphis 76

New York 122, Milwaukee 97

Oklahoma City 112, San Antonio 106

Dallas 111, Phoenix 95

Portland 112, New Orleans 94

Los Angeles 111, Sacramento 104

Minnesota 112, Los Angeles Lakers 111

Thursday, October 29 Schedule (All Times Central)

Memphis at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Atlanta at New York, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.