The Bucks traveled to Minnesota on Wednesday night to battle the Timberwolves. Despite Giannis missing his sixth straight game, The Bucks didn’t miss a beat in the clash with Minnesota. Khris Middleton was stellar in an encore performance of Sunday night. Let’s break down the action in our Bucks vs. Timberwolves recap!
First Half
Bobby Portis filled in for Giannis in the Bucks starting lineup. The Bucks were able to get off to an early lead with a 16-5 run to start the game. Khris Middleton got off to a fantastic start in the first half, finishing the first half with 14 points on 5/9 shooting and 1/4 from 3. Pat Connaughton was a key contributor, knocking down 2 threes in the final 2 minutes of the first half. Minnesota struggled to get anything going in the first half, shooting 36% from the field. Along with the poor shooting, Milwaukee’s defense forced 9 first half turnovers, including 8 steals. The Bucks were able to take advantage of Minnesota’s poor offensive start by taking a 61-44 lead into the break.
Halftime Notables
Khris Middleton: 14 points/6 rebounds/6 assists
Jrue Holiday: 11 points/4 rebounds/1 assist
Pat Connaughton: 11 points/2 rebounds/0 assists
Second Half
The Bucks offense got off to a blazing start to the second half, going on a 16-8 run to open the third quarter. Brook Lopez came out on fire and scored 10 of the Bucks first 13 points to start the second half. Khris Middleton also came out hot, going 4/6 from the field and 2/3 from 3 in the third quarter. Bobby Portis did his usual thing, but this time in the role as a starter, doing it all for the Bucks on offense. Thanks to the big third quarters from Middleton and Lopez, the Bucks were able to get the bench players big minutes for most of the second half. Bryn Forbes put his second half minutes to good use by scoring 10 points in his 6 minutes after the half. Pat Connaughton gave the Bucks some more good minutes off the bench.
Game Notables
Khris Middleton: 27 points/8 rebounds/8 assists/1 steal
Brook Lopez: 15 points/8 rebounds/2 steals/2 blocks
Bobby Portis: 13 points/7 rebounds/5 assists/2 steals
Jrue Holiday: 15 points/4 rebounds/4 assists/3 steals
Player of the Game
The Player of the Game honors from Wednesday’s game has to go to Khris Middleton. Middleton was able to follow up his nice showing from Sunday against Orlando with another big game tonight. Khris led the Bucks in scoring rebounds and assists, putting up 27/8/8. Middleton shot 9/15 and 3/7 from 3 with a +/- of +27. Big games from Khris will continue to be needed to help guide this Bucks team to where they’ll want to be when the season is over.
Conclusion
The Bucks were in control of this game from start to finish. With Giannis out for his sixth straight game, many player stepped up and it was a complete team effort in tonight’s win. The Bucks shot 47% from the field and 47% from 3 in the game. The Bucks return to action tomorrow night against the Hawks.
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