MINNEAPOLIS -- Trailing by five late in the fourth quarter, the young Minnesota Timberwolves never panicked.

Instead, Andrew Wiggins and Co. made stops on defense and hit big shots at the other end of the court.

No shot was bigger than the one Wiggins made with 19.5 seconds to play, which sealed Minnesota's 112-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves outscored Chicago 12-0 in the final 2:46 as Minnesota (16-36) won back-to-back games for the first time since late December.

"We dug deep," said Wiggins, who finished with 21 points. "We switched up the defense a little bit and got them under control and we hit shots."

Forward Pau Gasol scored a team-high 25 points and point guard Derrick Rose added 18 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, who dropped their second road game in as many nights and were without leading scorer Jimmy Butler (knee).

Wiggins was tasked with guarding Rose in the final minutes. He also was responsible for hitting Minnesota's biggest shots of the game.

The jumper Wiggins hit with 19.5 seconds remaining gave Minnesota a 110-105 lead, just moments after Gasol missed a 3-point try that would have tied the score. Wiggins also put the Timberwolves up by a point when an earlier jumper made it 106-105.

"He's learning how to play in flow and score in transition without us actually running a play for him," Minnesota interim head coach Sam Mitchell said of Wiggins.

Minnesota's two big men, power forward Karl-Anthony Towns and center Gorgui Dieng, scored a combined 50 points and 30 rebounds while each playing 41 minutes. Towns led all Timberwolves in scoring with 26 points, while Dieng finished three assists shy of a triple-double.

Mitchell said he has a hard time taking either player out of the game given how they're playing.

"Those two are playing so well together," Mitchell said. "We're just at the point in the season where you've got to bring positive minutes to the floor."

In a game that was close from start to finish, Minnesota waited until the final minute to secure its biggest lead. Dieng's dunk capped his 24-point night and finished the scoring.

No team led by more than six points before the fourth quarter. Chicago had a 55-49 lead at halftime but never stretched the margin to more than that the rest of the way.

The Timberwolves tied the score at 96 on two Wiggins' free throws, but a 3-pointer by guard E'Twuan Moore and a long jumper by Gasol put Chicago back up by five.

Thanks to Wiggins, Minnesota regained the lead with 1:24 remaining. He scored once again on a spin in the paint to put the Timberwolves up 108-105 with 48.5 seconds left.

"They did a good job of getting him the ball," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said of Wiggins. "We put him on the free throw line a few times and he hit that tough stepback."

Minnesota had five players score in double figures, led by rookie center Towns with 26. Dieng completed the double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Point guard Ricky Rubio added 14 points and six assists for the Timberwolves.

Chicago (27-23) was playing short-handed as Butler injured his left knee Friday. Butler, selected to the NBA All-Star Game, is averaging a team-high 22.4 points. His status for next weekend's All-Star Game remains a question mark.

Towns needed 14 rebounds to average 10.0 rebounds per game this season. He finished with 17 boards and is averaging a double-double in his rookie campaign.

Minnesota, which matched its win total from last season, dominated Chicago on the glass 45-31.

Saturday marked the second day of a back-to-back for Chicago. The Bulls lost 115-110 on Friday in Denver. Chicago's loss to Minnesota was its sixth straight road game, the longest stretch away from United Center this year.

"Obviously that's the theme of this trip is finding a way to close out games," Hoiberg said. "You've got to find a way to do everything you can, get stops and get the ball back."

NOTES: Coach Fred Hoiberg said G-F Jimmy Butler flew back to Chicago on Saturday and will meet with team doctors Sunday. Butler will also miss Monday's game in Charlotte, Hoiberg said. ... Timberwolves F Kevin Garnett did not play Saturday, the seventh consecutive game he has missed with a sore right knee. ... Hoiberg coached his first game at Target Center on Saturday. He played for Minnesota from 2003 to 2005 and worked in the Timberwolves' front office from 2006 to 2010. "I've got great memories of my time in Minnesota, my seven great years here," he said.