The Chicago Bulls used a barrage from behind the three-point line and a strong second half to blow past the Minnesota Timberwolves en route to their sixth consecutive win.

Joakim Noah was the standout performer – how many times has that been written this season – as he recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Noah’s triple-double was his fourth of the season, tying Lance Stephenson for most in the NBA. Noah’s 10th assist set a Bulls franchise record for most in a season, besting Tom Boerwinkle’s 397 dimes dished in the 1970-71 season.

The Bulls converted 11 of their 21 three-point attempts, a mark that essentially pulled them clear of the scrapping Timberwolves.

Chicago outscored Minnesota 54-34 after trailing by five at halftime. Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin lit up on of the poorest defensive backcourts in the NBA, converting 15 of their 23 shots to score 37 points combined.

Jimmy Butler shot well on his way to 14 points, hitting half of his six three-point attempts. He and Mike Dunleavy combined for 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Bulls pulled away in the third quarter.

Kevin Love opened the game hot, showing off his versatile skillset scoring both inside and out before appearing to either hurt his hand or hyper-extend his elbow after one of his team-mates ran into his outstretched arm. He would continue in the game in obvious pain only to knock down his next three-point attempt and appear to shake off the effects.

The Bulls trailed 53-48 at halftime, allowing Minnesota to shoot 52 percent in the first half. The Bulls endured their by-now traditional scoring drought through the middle of the second quarter, allowing Minnesota to embark on an 8-0 run as the Bulls missed six straight field goal attempts.

Despite the drought, the Bulls stayed close thanks to hitting six of their 11 first-half three point attempts.

The Bulls improved to an impressive 31-2 when scoring more than 96 points.

Chicago hosts the abysmal Detroit Pistons on Friday while Toronto welcomes the New York Knicks, a team fighting for their playoff lives. With the Charlotte Bobcats moving into the sixth seed and the struggling Pacers occupying the second seed, earning the third overall seed could open up a route to the most unlikely Eastern Conference Finals appearance for the Bulls.

The win allows the Bulls to keep pace with the Raptors for that third seed in the East with both teams tied in the loss column. The Raptors hold the tie-break by virtue of leading the Atlantic Division.

The post Chicago Bulls 102, Minnesota Timberwolves 87: Bulls blow past Wolves appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The Bulls are now in a first place tie with the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference dog pile. Technically speaking, Boston is still ahead of the Bullies because they currently lead the season series 2-1. The Celts visit the United Center on April 7.

Speaking of which, check out Chicago’s remaining schedule: 17 games left, 9 on the road, 8 at home. The Bulls will face 10 sub-.500 teams (Wizards, Nets, Pacers, Kings, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pistons, Raptors, Cavaliers and Nets again), a couple fringe teams (Grizzlies and Suns), a few solid playoff teams (Hawks, Sixers, Knicks) and two potential title contenders (Celtics and Magic).

Despite a season of doubt (specifically about the quality of the team’s starting two guard) and injuries (to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah), the Bulls could actually finish with the number one seed in their conference.

Can you believe it?

There are some potential stumbling blocks, though.

Next Tuesday, the Bulls play the Hawks in Atlanta one night after playing the Kings in Chicago. Road games against playoff teams jockeying for seeding are always tough. Plus, the Hawks will probably be looking for revenge for last Friday night’s blowout loss in the UC.

Following that back-to-back, the Bulls play another tough set of back-to-backs on Friday and Saturday, at home against a surging Memphis Grizzlies team and then on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Griz are trying to secure the final playoff spot out West. The Bucks are trying to fight their way up to the eight spot here in the East. I expect both games will be played with postseason intensity.

The Bulls have two more potentially disastrous back-to-back situations. As noted, they play the Celtics in Chicago on April 7. They then have to travel to Cleveland for a game the next night. If the Celtics game is as rough as I think it’ll be, and the Cavaliers are trying to salvage a little pride, the Bulls could fall into a classic trap game.

The Bulls then finish the season in a back-to-back set at New York (and you can bet the Knicks would like to move up to the fifth seed to avoid a potential matchup with the Heat) and then at home against a suddenly red-hot Nets team (last night they helped the Bullies out by beating the Celtics for their first five-game winning streak since 2008).

What I’m saying is this: The Bulls have a great chance to finish with the East’s top seed…but their margin of error is smaller than Earl Boykins. And even some of their “easy” games — like against the Cavs and Nets — could be dangerous.

If they want to finish first, they’re going to have to go all out every night until the end of the season.

The post Have you seen the standings lately? appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.