NBA: Surging Timberwolves gun for season sweep of Bucks

After a disappointing end to their Western Conference road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in a highly anticipated border battle on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee had a chance for a winning trip, especially since the Denver Nuggets were missing four starters on Sunday night. However, the Bucks fell short, losing 108-104. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while Myles Turner added 16 points despite playing just nine minutes in the second half due to illness.

“It really killed our rotations in the second half; we didn’t know (Turner) wasn’t coming out,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Because now Bobby (Portis) isn’t in that second unit with (Kevin) Porter Jr., and I thought that really hurt us.”

Once again, plus-minus stats showed a familiar trend for Milwaukee, with Antetokounmpo and AJ Green leading the way. “Giannis is great, plus-16, Green plus-11, everyone else in the minus,” Rivers said. “We just need to figure that out, bottom line. I thought our passing was horrific tonight; we could have generated a ton of threes if not for our passing.”

The Bucks now face one of the hottest teams in the league. Minnesota earned a dramatic 104-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, overcoming a 19-point deficit to claim their sixth win in the last eight games. Anthony Edwards scored 23 points, and former Buck Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Edwards hit a game-winning floater with 16.8 seconds left.

“Any time it’s the fourth quarter, I’m getting to the post. I worked on it all summer, I’m comfortable in those spots,” Edwards said. “Fourth quarter, four minutes left, the rest of the game let me get the ball.”

Edwards leads Minnesota with 28.9 points per game, while Rudy Gobert averages 11.4 rebounds and Julius Randle contributes 5.7 assists per night. The Timberwolves will be without Terrence Shannon Jr. (left foot abductor strain) for the 10th straight game. Milwaukee’s injury report is clear, though Turner’s status may be uncertain after playing through illness on Sunday.

Historically, this border rivalry has been competitive. A Minnesota win Tuesday would even the all-time series at 36 wins apiece and allow the Timberwolves to sweep the two-game season series for the first time since 2021-22. The Timberwolves won the first matchup Dec. 21 at home, 103-100, when Antetokounmpo did not play. Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points and six assists, DiVincenzo scored 18, and Gobert grabbed 18 rebounds. Porter narrowly missed his fifth career triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.

—Field Level Media/Reuters