LaMelo Ball scored a season-high 34 points to lead six players in double figures as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away early in the fourth quarter to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 on Monday night, according to The Associated Press. Minnesota finished with season lows in points and shooting percentage at 42.7 per cent, yet still won comfortably — a measure of how complete the Timberwolves’ control was, and how deep Milwaukee’s early-season problems now run.
Timberwolves pull away in the fourth
Ayo Dosunmu added 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels had 13 points for Minnesota. Each of Minnesota’s four previous victories had come by more than 20 points, and this one followed a similar pattern once the fourth quarter began. Six points by McDaniels started an 11-3 Timberwolves run to open the fourth, pushing Minnesota’s lead to 91-79 — its first double-digit lead since a 29-18 advantage after the opening quarter. A three-pointer by Ball, his sixth of the game, midway through the quarter put Minnesota in front 96-81 and ended the contest as a competition.
Bucks’ miserable start continues
Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 21 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19, and AJ Green and Myles Turner each had 13. Brayden Burries, the 10th overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, made his first start for Milwaukee and finished with nine points on 4-for-15 shooting. Milwaukee shot a season-worst 38.4 per cent and lost for the sixth time in seven games to start the season. This was, however, the first defeat in which the Bucks did not give up at least 127 points — small consolation on a night when their offence again stalled. Up next, the Bucks visit Boston on Wednesday night, while the Timberwolves travel to Houston.
Two teams heading in opposite directions
Minnesota’s win was workmanlike rather than spectacular, and that may be the most encouraging part for the Timberwolves. They shot poorly by their own standards and still won by 12 on the road to a comfortable margin, because their defence and rebounding held up. Milwaukee’s problems run deeper: six defeats in seven games, a rookie learning on the job, and an offence that cannot find consistent rhythm. The Bucks’ trip to Boston on Wednesday is now a serious test of character, not just another early-season game.
