Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ dominant blowout over Bucks

The Minnesota Timberwolves blew past the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday evening to improve to 11-2 since All-Star weekend.

Minnesota Timberwolves dominate the Milwaukee Bucks in Saturday matinee

Minnesota came into the game averaging 125.2 points per game since the All-Star break and surpassed that easily in the 138-119 win. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 25 points apiece, while the bench contributed 60 points as the Timberwolves extended their win streak to four games.

Karl-Anthony Towns: A

25 points (6-12 FG, 4-6 3P, 9-11 FT), 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Towns scored 25 points in a road win over the Bucks in October and did so again tonight with yet another dominant scoring performance.

The All-Star center has totaled a franchise-record 115 points and is shooting 60 percent from 3-point range in his last three games. Even though the Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the game with right knee soreness, it was still another dynamite showing from the Timberwolves big man.

He is averaging 29 points and shooting 41.7 percent from deep during the month of March.

Minnesota struggled to score in the opening minutes against the Bucks before Towns bullied his way into the paint and finished while being fouled. He remained aggressive throughout the game, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and compiling 17 points and nine rebounds prior to halftime. He didn’t have to do much in the second half as the Timberwolves turned it into a blowout. Towns has now gone for 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in 27 games this season.

Anthony Edwards: A

25 points (9-16 FG, 5-10 3P, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

After failing to find an offensive rhythm against San Antonio earlier in the week, Edwards has responded with back to back impressive outings. He scored 27 points in the win over the Lakers on Wednesday and followed that up with 25 points, five rebounds and three steals versus Milwaukee. The sophomore guard scored 12 straight, including two 3-pointers, to put Minnesota up midway through the first quarter.

Edwards also drilled a pair of triples in the first four minutes of the second half to extend the lead. He put the finishing touches on the blowout win with an open-court windmill dunk that gave Minnesota a 114-92 lead in the fourth quarter.

When his outside shot is falling, Edwards is one of the best scorers in the league and he proved that once again. The 6-foot-4 guard has knocked down 11-of-21 shots from beyond the arc in the last two games.

Naz Reid: B

14 points (6-9 FG, 1-4 3P, 1-1 FT), 3 rebounds, one assist, one steal

The Timberwolves bench ranks eighth in the league with 37.7 points per game and Reid has become a consistent part of that despite playing less minutes than a year ago. He has scored in double figures in four of his last five games and has improved a lot since his rookie year. Reid scored 12 consecutive points to put the Timberwolves up 48-38 in the second quarter and was a key factor in building the double-digit lead prior to halftime.

The LSU product returned to the lineup after missing two games due to back spasms so it was good to see him back on the court and playing with confidence. Reid went 6-9 from the field in 13 minutes against the Bucks and is hitting 64.3 percent of his shots in seven games this month. Chris Finch’s team had six bench players contribute in the win as Taurean Prince totaled 14 points, while Malik Beasley and Jaylen Nowell combined for 19 points and seven rebounds.

Minnesota is clicking on all cylinders with the regular season coming to a close as they push for a postseason berth. The Timberwolves are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have won four straight.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks and Nuggets are clinging to the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, with 11 games left on the schedule. The Timberwolves will take on Dallas twice next week with a chance to move even closer to potentially stealing a playoff spot.