The Minnesota Timberwolves were dominated by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in new head coach Chris Finch’s Wolves debut.
New coach, same result.
Admittedly, that opening line is a fairly cynical way to approach Chris Finch’s Minnesota Timberwolves debut. After all, he had been plucked from the Toronto Raptors bench less than 48 hours prior and presumably met many of his players only 24 hours before tip-off.
Nobody expected an immediate turnaround, but Wolves fans can be excused if they hoped for a “first game after the coach was fired” bump. No dice.
The Wolves, who hadn’t lost a game by double digits in their last 13 tries, were in this game until the final three minutes of the second quarter when the Bucks went on a 12-0 run that gave them a 17-point halftime lead and effectively put the visitors away.
Minnesota played a strong first quarter, trailing by only two. Karl-Anthony Towns played as though he’d spent the last two days watching 2016-17 Denver Nuggets tape, looking to pass on every possession.
Unfortunately, the Wolves couldn’t hit open shots and the Bucks seemingly couldn’t miss for much of the game.
Milwaukee didn’t dip below 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc until early in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand. The Wolves used a quick burst from Towns and others to get within 16 at one point in the fourth, but they never managed to get closer than that.
The offense was certainly more free-flowing, but there was nobody to slow down Giannis. If the defense collapsed, Giannis, Donte DiVincenzo, and D.J. Augustin picked the defense apart, finding shooters dotted along the arc.
The Wolves didn’t have enough urgency defensively or on the glass, and the Bucks also out free-throwed the Wolves by an 18 to 9 margin in the attempt column.
The early effort and overall offense were encouraging, but the defensive issues and the sudden, mid-game collapse were concerning. Then again, the Bucks are the class of the Eastern Conference and the Wolves have a brand new head coach and have the worst record in the league.
We’ll see if anything changes on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls and first-time All-Star/old friend Zach LaVine.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Juancho Hernangomez was given the opportunity to get some fourth-quarter run alongside four starters. He played well, for the most part, and finished two points, three rebounds, and two assists, although he shot just 1-of-5 and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
Jake Layman played the final three minutes of the game and made a mid-range jumper before taking a hideous step-back 3-pointer and getting beat back down the floor for an easy transition bucket.
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves head to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Wednesday night on the second half of a back-to-back.