The Bucks looked like a different team in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading the entire way, and held a 16-point lead early in the third quarter. But a 23-2 Timberwolves run flipped
the game on its head, and the Bucks ended up losers for the third game in a row (and the fifth out of six). Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Player Grades
Kevin Porter Jr.
37 minutes, 24 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers, 8/17 FG, 3/9 3PT, 5/6 FT, -5
Some reckless turnovers aside, Porter was fantastic in this one. Often the only ball handler on court, Porter’s shot-creation for himself and others helped the Bucks build a 16-point lead. His cat-quick reflexes were positive defensively too, leading to four steals, and he had what could have been a momentum-shifting block in the fourth—if only Bobby Portis didn’t inexplicably lose the handle in transition.
Grade: B+
Myles Turner
38 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4/11 FG, 3/8 3PT, -12
If it wasn’t for a 8-point personal run late in the second and a late three in the fourth when the game was all but over, you could have easily thought Turner didn’t play. He was simply invisible for much of the game—a habit that has marred too much of his Bucks tenure thus far—and finished with a team-worst plus/minus of -12, offering little in the way of rim protection. For a player on his contract, Turner simply must produce more.
Grade: D+
Kyle Kuzma
32 minutes, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 3/5 FG, 6/8 FT, -9
Kuzma got the assignment of guarding Anthony Edwards for much of the night and did an exceptional job, forcing Edwards into 7/24 shooting. Offensively, he played within himself for the most part—though some costly tunnel-vision plays down the stretch did hurt—got to the line more than any other Buck, and attacked the defensive glass. The renaissance season continues—keep it up, Kuz.
Grade: B
AJ Green
23 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1/8 FG, 1/8 3PT, -9
Green is on the court for one thing and one thing only—his shooting. Last night, he offered almost nothing in that department, posting his second-worst shooting performance of the season (behind only his “0-for” when he left the game early against Philadelphia). Most of the shots he took were good looks, though, and he needs to keep letting them fly. Perhaps that shoulder still isn’t quite right after all.
Grade: F
Ryan Rollins
23 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 8/17 FG, 2/6 3PT, +5
Rollins came off the bench for the second game in a row and was aggressive on the offensive end, hunting his shot throughout and providing much-needed creation outside of Porter. His minutes have trended downward lately and, for some reason, that continued tonight despite his strong play.
Grade: B
Gary Trent Jr.
18 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2/11 FG, 2/7 3PT, +3
How Trent finished with a positive plus/minus is anyone’s guess—he chucked shots any time he had the chance, including several forced, contested looks from the paint. At one point, he even fumbled a loose ball out of bounds that would’ve led to an uncontested layup. Like Green, when Trent’s shot isn’t falling, he offers little else, and—outside of his 15-game rookie season—he’s now shooting a career-low from the field (including 3/19 over the last two).
Grade: F
Bobby Portis
39 minutes, 16 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 7/17 FG, 2/6 3PT, +6
Tonight was a classic love/hate game from Portis. He put up points and crashed the boards well, arguably outplaying Julius Randle. Yet, his inability to convert shots around the rim once again proved costly, and he just about closed the door on a Bucks comeback when he forgot how to dribble on the aforementioned fast-break opportunity in the fourth.
Grade: C+
Jericho Sims
19 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4/4 FG, 0
Back off the bench, Sims played his role to a T tonight, corralling rebounds and finishing around the rim with authority. He continues to be the only Buck who collects rebounds above the rim and finally seemed to realise he doesn’t have to pound-dribble before dunking—more please. At one point, Sims even showed off his handle with a behind-the-back crossover!
Grade: A
Doc Rivers
Rivers went to the zone early and often in this one, and it worked in the first half, with the Timberwolves struggling from three. His decision to go big to counter the Wolves’ size was also sound, and he even won a rare coach’s challenge. But limiting Rollins to just 23 minutes with the Bucks so desperate for shot creation—and Green and Trent struggling mightily on a combined 3/18—was just baffling. Horst, it’s time.
Grade: C–
Limited Minutes: Gary Harris
DNP-CD: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, Andre Jackson Jr., Pete Nance, Mark Sears.
Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince, Alex Antetokounmpo.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Ryan Rollins came off the bench for the second game in a row and didn’t check in until the 2:34 minute mark of the first quarter. Despite playing just 6:57 in the first half, he put up eight shots.
- The Bucks led for the entire first quarter—the first time this has happened for the season—and continued that throughout the second quarter.
- Prior to tonight’s game, ex-Buck Donte DiVincenzo averaged 14.3 PPG against the Bucks. Tonight he finished with 18 points, offering the distance shooting the Bucks’ shooting guards couldn’t—and the overall versatility they simply don’t have. What could have been.
- Myles Turner scored his first points of the game—a straightaway three-pointer—at the 4:00 minute mark of the second quarter. He hit another from the same spot on very the next possession, then went to the line for two free throws—eight points in one minute and seven seconds.
- Both teams struggled from three in the first half, shooting a combined 12/47 (Milwaukee 8/25; Minnesota 4/22). The Wolves turned that around in the second half, going 10/23, while the Bucks got colder, hitting just 5/20.
- After Porter converted a cutting layup to put the Bucks up 16 early in the third, the Timberwolves went on a 23-2 run to take a five-point lead.
- Working well for much of the night, the Bucks’ zone looked poor to begin the fourth; Terrance Shannon Jr. took advantage, hitting three triples in just over two minutes of action.
- Doc Rivers won a coach’s challenge late in the fourth and then, strangely, followed it up with a time out—the Bucks’ final one for the game. When asked about the purpose of this, he said:
“Exactly what we got… It was a tough call because I would have loved to save that timeout. But I’m looking at the score—and we needed to score—and I thought we needed a three. And I thought we needed to do it in under ten seconds, so the only way to do that is by running what we ran.”
- Despite 18 rebounds from Rudy Gobert—and Milwaukee being the worst per-game rebounding team in the league this season—the Bucks out-rebounded the Wolves 51-46. It’s just the sixth time all season they’ve won the battle of the boards.
Up Next
The Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday for the second leg of their five-game road trip. You can find all the action on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin—tip off is at 6:30 p.m. Central.
