Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Date: December 21st, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The Wolves Finally Landed the Punch. Now Comes the Hard Part.
Heading into Friday night’s long-anticipated showdown with Oklahoma City, the Timberwolves were carrying around a quiet but increasingly awkward truth: through 27 games, they still didn’t have a signature win. Plenty of wins, sure. The Wolves held a solid record built by beating up on the league’s
bottom feeders, but nothing that made the league stop, take notice, and say, “oh… maybe these guys are actually back”. Just twice they’d beaten teams above .500, and both times those wins came against opponents missing their best player. Minnesota’s play had been respectable, but not convincing. The Wolves were holding the sixth seed by punching down and never quite landing an uppercut.
Then OKC walked into Target Center with two losses, a machine-like identity, and that unmistakable “future dynasty” vibe. If the Wolves were going to change the narrative, this was the moment. This was the night. And while they did knock out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, it’s also fair to say they didn’t exactly throw their cleanest swing.
The opening half was absolute chaos. Chris Finch detonated mere minutes into the game, storming the court and getting himself ejected in a profanity-laced tirade that would have made Samuel L. Jackson blush. The Wolves followed that up with execution so poor it bordered on performance art. Clanging threes, missed free-throws, careless turnovers, and empty finishes around the rim defined the first half. This wasn’t shooting yourself in the foot. This was unloading an entire magazine into it and limping onward anyway.
And yet… they survived.
There were moments in the second half when it felt like Minnesota might finally pull away. Small runs. Six- and seven-point leads. Flashes where you could see OKC’s legs wobble just a bit on the second night of a back-to-back. But the Thunder, because they are who they are, kept answering. Every time Minnesota blinked, OKC was right back in their face.
Until Anthony Edwards decided he’d had enough.
The late step-back three, the one that sent Target Center into full-blown earthquake mode, wasn’t just a dagger. It was a declaration. That’s the shot superstars take. That’s the shot that gets clipped, replayed, tweeted, and referenced the next time people start listing contenders on a podcast. That’s the moment where Edwards didn’t just beat the Thunder, he inserted himself in that top-five-player conversation.
This was the win the Wolves needed. Not because it was perfect — it absolutely wasn’t — but because it proved something vital. Minnesota has taken the best team in basketball to the wire twice this season, once on the road and once at home, while missing 26 free throws across eight quarters. That’s a quarter’s worth of points handed away at the charity stripe, and yet they were still standing toe-to-toe with OKC at the finish line.
If they can just fix the little things, don’t let anyone tell you this team can’t contend with the Thunder in a playoff series.
But here’s the catch: signature wins only matter if you don’t immediately erase them.
Now Comes the Hard Part: Milwaukee
Which brings us to the current scenario where Timberwolves teams of the past have reliably tripped over their own shoelaces.
As cathartic and validating as that Oklahoma City win was, the NBA does not hand out bonus points for signature victories in December. You don’t get an extra half-win because Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe might finally say your name when mentioning contenders. You only get credit if you stack the next one.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: Milwaukee stole two games from Minnesota last season, including one where they erased a 24-point deficit in the fourth quarter. That alone should be enough to set off every internal alarm bell. Add in the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo is sidelined, and that the Bucks beat the Wolves last year without Giannis as well, and this starts to feel like the most Timberwolves trap game imaginable.
This is the kind of matchup that erases goodwill fast. You beat a historically great Thunder team, then turn around and sleepwalk against an injured opponent? That’s how a statement win turns into a punchline. With the NBA Cup Champion Knicks and a Christmas evening date with Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets looming right around the corner, this is the game where professionalism has to show up.
So with that in mind, here’s how Minnesota avoids undoing everything they just earned.
Keys to the Game
1. Get Right from Three — the Right Way
The Wolves’ shooting variance has been one of their achilles heels this season. When the threes fall, this offense can be borderline terrifying. When they don’t, things spiral quickly into ISO ball and late-clock heaves.
Against Memphis and in the first half versus OKC, the Wolves’ three-point shooting was a full-blown car wreck. The difference in the Thunder game was that they didn’t panic. In the third quarter, the ball started moving. Donte DiVincenzo found rhythm. Edwards hit the shots that mattered, including the shot that sealed it.
Against Milwaukee, the Wolves don’t need to shoot 45 percent from deep. What they do need is shot quality. That means Edwards and Randle collapsing the defense instead of forcing contested looks. It means Jaden, Donte, Naz, and Julius taking threes in rhythm, not out of frustration. This offense works when it’s connected. It fails when everyone freelances.
2. Own the Paint
Without Giannis, this should be a size mismatch that Minnesota leans into immediately.
Rudy Gobert needs to be fed early and often with lobs, put-backs, seals, easy dunks. Against OKC, the Thunder’s physicality limited his offensive impact. Milwaukee does not have that same luxury. This is a game where Rudy’s efficiency should show up on the scoreboard.
Julius Randle also needs to reassert himself inside. Bully ball. Get downhill. Force help. Jaden McDaniels also has to stay aggressive attacking the rim. When the outside shots aren’t falling, Minnesota has to manufacture efficient points at the basket. Milwaukee simply doesn’t have the personnel to stop it if the Wolves commit to it.
3. Play Smart, Take Care of the Ball
One of the underrated positives from the Thunder win was that Minnesota largely held up against OKC’s chaos defense. There were mistakes, yes, but the Wolves didn’t completely implode the way they have in other games.
That standard needs to carry over.
No dribbling into crowds. No casual passes. No “my turn, your turn” offense that results in live-ball turnovers. The Wolves can’t afford to throw their offensive opportunities away and turn them into easy transition buckets for Milwaukee.
4. Bring the Intensity — Don’t Play with Your Food
This is the key that determines whether the Wolves are actually growing up.
Milwaukee isn’t OKC. They’re not New York. They’re not Denver. But they are fully capable of stealing a game if Minnesota lets them hang around. We’ve already experienced this twice in 2025.
The Wolves can’t treat this like a “wait until the fourth quarter” night. That approach has burned them too many times this season. Defensive intensity needs to be there from the opening tip. Pressure the ball. Close out hard. Take pride in getting stops. Build a lead, then step on the throat instead of letting the opponent resurrect itself.
5. Hit. Your. Free. Throws.
This shouldn’t still be a conversation, but here we are.
Last night, the Wolves missed 14 free throws. Tossing away free points against Milwaukee or any competent NBA team is how you turn a win into an avoidable loss.
Everyone has to lock in. This roster is full of capable shooters. There’s no excuse for leaving points on the board and choking away games when you’re competing in a conference this unforgiving.
The Bigger Picture
Friday night against Oklahoma City was an identity game. It reminded everyone, including the Wolves themselves, that this team can stand toe-to-toe with the very best when it matters.
Sunday night against Milwaukee is something subtler, but just as important.
This is a maturity test.
Are the Wolves a team that rises for the big moments, lands a haymaker, and then immediately trips over the next obstacle? Or are they a group that understands that real contenders don’t just beat elite teams, they also handle their business against injured, overmatched opponents without drama?
The West doesn’t care how pretty your best win is. It only cares about the standings in April.
This is how you prove that Friday wasn’t a one-off.
This is how you show you’re done giving games away.
This is how you convince the league that Minnesota belongs in that contender conversation for real.
Take care of Milwaukee.
Then worry about the monsters coming next.
That’s how grown teams operate.
