Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

Congrats on your new gig coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chris Finch. Now, go lead the worst team in the league against the back-to-back league MVP.

Nobody ever said it would be easy. In fact, leading a 7-24 squad against Giannis Antetokounmpo will be exceedingly hard. But that’s the job that Finch is signing up for.

Only 48 hours prior to tip-off on Tuesday, Finch was on the bench for the Raptors as they defeated Philadelphia in Tampa. Now, he’s leading Karl-Anthony Towns and painfully young roster as he tries to weigh installing some of his own schemes with allowing the Wolves to play free and easy.

If Finch’s comments over the past day are true, he’s going to be doing a whole lot of taking the reigns off instead of installing more plays.

It isn’t like Ryan Saunders’ offense was overly structured; one of the more common criticisms of the Wolves’ struggles was the stagnation of the offense and the propensity to devolve into D’Angelo Russell isolations or Anthony Edwards launching contested 3-pointers early in the shot clock.

But it’s also true that the offense Finch was part of installing in Denver, New Orleans, and Toronto was all predicted on constant motion. If the first read isn’t there, the offense moves seamlessly into the next action instead of breaking down or stagnating.

Of course, much of this is on the players to A) understand basic timing and spacing concepts, and B) properly execute. Towns, Russell, Ricky Rubio, and other veterans shouldn’t have any problem with a read-and-react offense, but it remains to be seen how Edwards, Jarrett Culver, and others operate within the “bumpers”, as Finch puts it.

It all starts Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds at Milwaukee Bucks

According to The Action Networks, the Wolves are 11-point underdogs on the road against the Bucks, which, frankly, feels a bit high in a game played right after Minnesota replaces their head coach. Look for the possibility of a “head coach has been fired” first-game bump from the Wolves to at least keep this game close.

Also, don’t forget that the Wolves’ last 13 games have all been decided by single digits. The Bucks are good, but Minnesota hasn’t been blown out often of late.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks

• Television: Fox Sports North
• Radio: 830 WCCO
• Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are better than their 18-13 record, a mark that still puts them in the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. But their Pythagorean record is 22-9, which suggests some bad luck and randomness in close losses.

After a recent five-game losing streak, they’ve won consecutive games by double digits and are relatively healthy, save for Jrue Holiday remaining out due to health and safety protocols.

The biggest problem for the Wolves in this one — this side of Giannis, of course — is that the Bucks are the league’s top rebounding team in terms of total rebounds per game and defensive rebounding percentage. They’re also top-10 in offensive rebounding percentage, while Minnesota remains a bottom-tier team on the defensive glass.

That, combined with the Bucks’ comfort to play fast and get out in transition, could spell disaster for the Wolves.

Chris Finch’s crew needs to take care of the ball to at least limit the Bucks’ opportunities in transition, and they need to hit the glass as hard as they can.

Look for Jaden McDaniels to get plenty of opportunity in Finch’s rotation moving forward, but Jarred Vanderbilt may also get plenty of run in this one. The Wolves need his rebounding, and the defensive flexibility of both McDaniels and Vanderbilt will be key against a team like the Bucks.

Milwaukee is also one of the league’s best 3-point shooting teams, so the Wolves will need to keep pace from outside the arc themselves. Towns has attempted three or fewer 3-point baskets in three of the last five games, which simply can’t be the case in this one.

Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks

The Wolves are still without Jarrett Culver, who is reportedly progressing to on-court activities this week in his recovery from an ankle sprain. D’Angelo Russell remains out with a knee issue that required surgery a little over a week ago.

The Bucks are still without Jrue Holiday, who remains in health and safety protocols.

Check back after the game for player grades following Chris Finch’s head coaching debut!