Milwaukee played ugly, but Minnesota played uglier
In a game that featured no Giannis or Dame (and many misses and turnovers from both sides), the Milwaukee Bucks came out on top against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-101. Gary Trent Jr. led the Bucks in scoring with 21, while Kyle Kuzma backed him up with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. For the Wolves, Anthony Edwards was their top scorer with 28 points, albeit on 10/33 shooting. Additionally, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert combined for 42 points and 27 boards against Milwaukee’s diminished front line. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
The Bucks benefited from some awful shooting from Minnesota, who went 10/44 from three. However, Milwaukee did look pretty big and athletic out there with Kuz’s addition, and I think that size had an effect on the Wolves. According to Doc’s postgame comments, it sounded like they came in with a goal to win with defence:
“We set a goal, and we didn’t get it. Our goal was to hold them under 100 and they got 101… We knew scoring with the offense we had out would be rough, but we thought we could really win the game with a defensive effort and that’s what we did.”
With Giannis hopefully back following the All-Star break (or soon thereafter), I’m intrigued to see this jumbo lineup and what they can get out of it on both ends.
Three Bucks
Kyle Kuzma is still a puzzle I’ve yet to figure out.
Kuzma’s counting stats at the end of the night tell a funny story. On one hand, I continue to love the rebounding and grab-and-go ability. On the other, he went 7/17 and 0/3 from deep with four turnovers. He’s such a funny eval for me because if you can just bottle the good stuff—controlled attacks to the rim, short-roll playmaking, active defence—and remove the out-of-control dribble drives off zero passes (and other stuff)… there is something interesting there. I’m intrigued to see what his scaled-down game looks like when Giannis returns.
Gary Trent Jr. has zero fear.
For better or for worse, one thing is clear: Gary Trent Jr. isn’t afraid of the big moment. Every time the Wolves got close or took the lead, Trent stepped up and made a big shot. I actually think these games where his team is playing with house money are the games he thrives the most in, a bit like Bobby. Whether it was off a spot-up or self-created, Gary had it going last night.
So… is Kevin Porter Jr. the backup point guard now?
Porter is also a funny eval to me. If you ask me who I feel most confident in to just not mess up or do something crazy out of Porter or Ryan Rollins, my answer is easily Rollins. I would also contest that, although Ryan struggled from three last night (0/4), I think his fit with the main guys as a catch-and-shoot gunner might be better than Porter’s. Having said all of that, we saw last night that KPJ’s ability to get into the lane and create offence is probably better than Rollins’. I can’t say I’m sold that Porter is the backup going forward off just one game (his third quarter stint wasn’t great), but this is certainly a conversation now.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Kuzma is nowhere near a perfect basketball player, but this play encapsulates what makes him a unique basketball player:
- The Bucks scored 36 and 33 points in the first and fourth quarters, and 15 and 19 in the second and third. Hilarious.
- After a few subpar games from Brook of late, I thought he was pretty good in this one, especially on both ends late in the game. Being able to (not) guard Gobert certainly helps.
- Ryan Rollins had one to forget from a shooting standpoint, shooting 2/12 overall, but I didn’t think he was all that bad overall.
- There is seemingly a frustrating point in many games the Bucks play where they are moving the ball and generating good shots… but then opt to throw it into Bobby so he can iso on the block against a guy who just isn’t a mismatch. This game it was Naz Reid who, while not fleet of foot, is perfectly fine defending on the block against Portis. Last game, it was Jimmy Butler. I don’t mind Bobby exploring that part of his game, but if they’re throwing it in, he better be able to generate good looks. To be clear, though, there were other culprits; it wasn’t all Bobby’s fault by any means.
- AJ Green hit a number of timely shots down the stretch to ward off the surging Wolves.
- Terrence Shannon Jr., who many Bucks fans wanted to draft, had a career-high 11 points last night, with six assists and five rebounds to boot.
Up Next
The Bucks will now get a rest for the All-Star break (except for Dame and AJax). Their first game back will be at home on February 20 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.
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