The Minnesota Timberwolves were handled rather easily by the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night in the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns.
All things considered, going 1-1 with Karl-Anthony Towns unavailable due to suspension was probably about as good as the Minnesota Timberwolves could have hoped for.
After beating the Wizards by 22 points on Saturday in Washington, the Wolves fell by 28 to the Bucks on Monday at Target Center in a game that started nearly an hour late due to an … wait for it … un-level hoop. That’s right, tip-off was at 7:59 p.m. because the rim was crooked, and apparently nobody noticed until right before the game was supposed to start.
Once things finally got going, the Wolves were competitive early and almost got into halftime trailing by just five, but a rare successful coach’s challenge overturned what was a charge and a third personal foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo into a blocking foul on Jordan Bell and two points for the Bucks with just 0.2 left on the clock.
The Bucks struggled mightily during each stretch when Giannis sat on the bench as the Wolves hung a couple of possessions back and cut a 20-plus point lead down to 14 late in the third quarter. But when Antetokounmpo was on the court, the Wolves simply didn’t have an answer.
Bell was the closest thing to an answer to at least impeding Giannis somewhat, but it didn’t matter. From Treveon Graham to Jake Layman to Bell, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player scored almost at will.
The Wolves didn’t have much success on offense in this one, either, struggling from beyond the arc to the tune of 13-for-43, or just 30.2 percent. The only player with more than 15 points in the game for the Wolves was Andrew Wiggins, who needed 21 shots to score 25 points.
For as positive as the fight was early in the game, the second half was a debacle of missed opportunities and bricked 3-point attempts.
The good news? Minnesota has a winnable road game at Memphis on Wednesday and a home date with the battered Warriors on Friday — and Towns will be available for both of those contests.
Player Grades
Other Players
Bell and Vonleh played the least and second-least minutes on the team, splitting the center spot behind Dieng.
Bell had a nice line, with 12 points (4-6 FG, 0-1 3P, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, and three assists in just 15 minutes. He did have two turnovers, having a couple of passes clank of his hands in the paint. His ball skills continue to be questionable, but there’s a clear edge that he brings to the Wolves when he’s on the floor.
Vonleh was quite solid once again, putting up five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. He was awesome early in the game, pulling down tough boards and contributing on defense, but his struggles from the field (1-7 FG, 1-4 3P) caught up to him.
Up Next
The Wolves hit the road once again, hopping on a short flight to Memphis for a 7 p.m. CT game against Tyus Jones and the Grizzlies on Wednesday.