The Milwaukee Bucks will play their final game before the All-Star break when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
The Bucks have alternated losses and wins in each of their past five games and are looking to go into the break on a positive note. They are coming off a 125-111 loss to the visiting Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
Milwaukee is limping toward the break without its top player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is sidelined by a left calf strain. Antetokounmpo will miss the All-Star Game and is expected to rejoin the Bucks after the break.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said fatigue seemed to catch up to his players in their most recent performance.
“I thought we were playing on tired legs, you could see that,” Rivers said. “Hopefully, we can muster up enough energy and rest and play this last game before we get our real rest.”
The Timberwolves have two more games left before the break, with back-to-back home contests against the Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder set for this week. Minnesota had won eight of its previous 10 games when it lost Monday to the host Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-107.
Anthony Edwards will aim to maintain his hot shooting against the Bucks. Edwards has exceeded 40 points in each of his last three games, including a 44-point performance that included eight 3-pointers on Monday.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch praised Edwards for his hot shooting but said everyone on the team needed to move the ball more. He said the offense got too bogged down in the last game, something he likely will emphasize to his players before they take on the Bucks.
“As a team, we had 17 assists (in our last game). That’s not nearly enough,” Finch said. “You’ve got to move the ball. (Edwards) got hot. He got some good looks, he got to the free-throw line. We need him playmaking as well for his teammates at a high level, like we know he can do.”
Edwards leads the Timberwolves with 27.5 points per game. Second-leading scorer Julius Randle (18.9) is out with a groin injury. Naz Reid (14.1) and Jaden McDaniels (11.3) round out the top four.
Minus Antetokounmpo (31.8), the Bucks’ top scorer is Damian Lillard with 25.8 points per game. Recent acquisition Kyle Kuzma is averaging 15.3 points in his first three games for Milwaukee, and Bobby Portis is next with 13.8 points per game.
Rivers said he was trying to find playing time for some of his reserves. That includes Kevin Porter Jr., who made his team debut Monday after being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers and is expected to get another turn in the rotation against the Timberwolves.
“It’s easy with one guy,” Rivers said. “But when you have multiple guys that we’re trying to squeeze in, we’ve got to find out (who can contribute the most).
“Because we have guys here that we like. So, we have to find out in these next 30 games or whatever we have left what our rotations will be.”
–Field Level Media
