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Rose's status uncertain when Bulls face Wolves

Nov 1, 2014 - 2:38 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The collective hearts of Chicago Bulls' fans sank on Friday night when Derrick Rose went down with a leg injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They can breathe slightly easier Saturday.

"Don't worry, it's just an ankle sprain," Rose said after a 114-108 overtime home loss. "I guess it's part of the process. Of course the gods are testing me right now, but it's fine. I think I'll be able to get through it."

Rose believes he might even give it a go Saturday night when his Bulls visit the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

The former MVP scored 18 points in the first half against LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and company. He injured the ankle and only managed two points in the third quarter before leaving the game for good.

Rose and Kirk Hinrich, starting in place of Jimmy Butler, who missed his second straight with a thumb injury, each had 20 for the Bulls. Pau Gasol netted 15 points with nine boards and six blocks, and Mike Dunleavy added 14 points in the setback.

Aaron Brooks chipped in 11 off the bench, while Taj Gibson and Tony Snell both scored 10.

James scored the first eight points for Cleveland in overtime and the Bulls never truly recovered.

The Bulls shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from beyond the 3- point arc. They outshot the Cavs, but 20 turnovers and a 10-point deficit on the boards hurt Chicago.

The Wolves dropped their season-opener Wednesday in Memphis, 105-101. One night later, Minnesota captured its home opener, 97-91, over the Detroit Pistons.

Against Detroit, Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Thaddeus Young posted 19 points, Ricky Rubio supplied 11 points and eight assists and Mo Williams added 13 points and four assists for Minnesota.

"Good win overall, I thought that we played pretty good defense for most of the game. Played hard, played aggressive," Wolves head coach Flip Saunders said.

Kevin Martin scored 12 points off the bench in his first action of the season. He missed the Grizzlies' game due to a sore ankle. It's unknown if Martin will return to the starting lineup, where he was a fixture last season.

Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft, has started in Martin's absence and has averaged 7.0 ppg in his first two games as a professional.

Minnesota hits the road next week with visits scheduled in Brooklyn, Orlando and Miami.

The Timberwolves bested the Bulls in Chicago on Jan. 27 and snapped a seven- game losing streak in the series. The Bulls won in Minnesota later in the season and have taken five consecutive as the visitor in this series.