Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to the Milwaukee Bucks
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves were dominated by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in new head coach Chris Finch’s Wolves debut.
112. 86. 139. 89. Final
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
B+. The loss to the Bucks served as something of a preview to how Karl-Anthony Towns will be used in a Chris Finch offense. Towns had 11 assists to go along with 26 points and was looking to distribute all night. He was effective in the low-post and made the proper reads when he was doubled and forced to pass. Towns’ passing from the perimeter was slightly more of a mixed bag, and he occasionally drew himself into his own pump-fake game instead of being decisive. But overall, 11 assists and only three turnovers is something the Wolves will take every night from Towns, and it isn’t very often that he’ll only shoot 1-of-6 from 3-point range.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
MALIK BEASLEY. A-. Malik Beasley started this game white-hot, hitting his first four shots from the field and his first three 3-point attempts. While his final line of 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 6-of-9 from outside the arc is fantastic, he was somewhat quiet as the game wore on. Look for him to be used more frequently as a cutter in Finch’s system, in part as a counter-balance to teams expecting him to always be popping to the perimeter for 3-point attempts. Still, both the Knicks on Sunday and the Bucks on Tuesday have done a great job of switching virtually everything in off-ball action to make life more challenging for Beasley, and the Wolves will have to adjust.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves
This was another bad game from Anthony Edwards. He shot just 3-of-13 from the field and is now 12-for-53 over the last four games — just 22.6 percent. His only makes were 3-pointers, including two catch-and-shoot opportunities. When driving to the basket, Edwards was uncomfortable and seemed to be pressing while trying to create for his teammates and finished with four turnovers to only three assists.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS. D
B. Ricky Rubio had a fairly non-descript night, finishing with 12 points (4-8 FG, 2-4 3P, 2-2 FT), four assists, and four rebounds. He only had one turnover but also only played 23 minutes, in part due to foul trouble.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
C+. Jarred Vanderbilt started but only played 11 minutes, struggling with Giannis and picking up two early fouls. He saw some run alongside both Towns and Jaden McDaniels in the third quarter but was left on the bench in favor of Juancho Hernangomez and Jake Layman in the fourth. He had just two points and five rebounds on the night.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT
B-. Jaden McDaniels — stop me if you’ve heard this one before — struggled to slow down Giannis. He did block his shot at the rim in the first quarter, only for the back-to-back, reigning MVP to get his own rebound and lay it in for a bucket. McDaniels finished with just four points and a rebound, although he also pitched in two assists, two blocks, and a steal. Rebounding continues to be the biggest issue for the slightly-built rookie.. Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. JADEN MCDANIELS
This was one of Naz Reid’s worst games in some time. He finished with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting, and six of his shot attempts came from outside the arc as the Bucks continually left him open. He had seven rebounds in 15 minutes and was a team-worst -25 in the plus-minus column.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. NAZ REID. D
Jordan McLaughlin had another mostly solid performance, finishing with nine points (3-9 FG, 3-7 3P), six assists, and three rebounds in 25 minutes. He had only one turnover but finished with a -20 plus-minus.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. JORDAN MCLAUGHLIN. B
B+. Jaylen Nowell had his best game in a while, doing much of his damage in the first half. He finished with 13 points (5-10 FG, 3-6 3P), four rebounds, one assist and one steal and helped keep the Wolves in shouting distance early in the second quarter.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. JAYLEN NOWELL
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.
Next. Chris Finch will unlock Anthony Edwards. dark
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.