At least the road trip is over.
Timberwolves come up short at Milwaukee, lose 123-114 for winless road trip
It was Giannis Antetokounmpo's turn to go off against the Wolves, as he became the first player since Moses Malone with back-to-back games of at least 40 points and 20 rebounds.
December 31, 2022 at 3:46AM
After a 123-114 loss at Milwaukee on Friday, the Timberwolves are coming home having lost five in a row.
For the second time in two games, the shorthanded Wolves fell victim to a superstar in his prime and a rebounding effort not ready for prime time.
This time it was Giannas Antetokounmpo.
He basically did it all. By the time this herky-jerky, foul-filled game was over, he had 43 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He became the first NBA player since Moses Malone in February 1982 to have back-to-back 40-point, 20-rebound games. He carried the Bucks on his back until his teammates found their range in the second half.
The Wolves led by 13 in the second quarter and by 11 at the half. But Antetokounmpo's 15 third-quarter points turned the game around for Milwaukee, who led by six entering the fourth.
They never trailed again.
"I thought we lost the game in the beginning of the third quarter," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "We had about a half-dozen stops there, and we came up with empty offense. Eventually they were going to find their three-point game. And rebounding. We got crushed on the offensive glass. They got 20 offensive rebounds. That's quite embarrassing actually."
Already without Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves lost Rudy Gobert to illness Friday. As Finch noted, that's 14 feet worth of big men not out there pounding the glass.
Add to that foul trouble by Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels, and Finch was forced to go deep into his bench.
He wasn't about to use that excuse to explain a 68-36 Bucks edge on the glass.
Antetokounmpo carried the Bucks, who finally got going in the second half. After shooting 18-for-52 overall and making just three of 22 three-point attempts in the first half, Milwaukee (23-12) broke its own four-game losing streak by shooting 61% in the second half and making 11 of 17 threes.
Bobby Portis (22 points, 14 rebounds) and Joe Ingles (12 points, 10 boards, 4-for-7 on threes) were lethal off the Milwaukee bench, which managed 48 points.
The Wolves' Anthony Edwards continued his strong play with 30 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and four steals. But he may have emerged from the game less than 100%. He fell hard on his left side after being fouled by Brook Lopez with 4:13 left in the fourth quarter.
After being helped off the court, he decided to stay in. He made both free throws to cut the Bucks' lead to seven. Moments later, Jaylen Nowell's three-point play with 3:00 left made it a five-point game. But that was as close as the Wolves got.
"There is always a concern," Finch said of Edwards. "We'll just have to see."
With another game, at home, Saturday, the Wolves are going to have to figure out a way to rebound better.
"We kind of let those guys back in the game and get confident," said Luka Garza, who scored 16 points. "Honestly, today, I think it was us big guys who didn't rebound as well. Our guards really did crash. Anthony had 10 rebounds. We had a lot of guys getting boards, and I think us bigs have got to do a better job of fighting on the glass."
The Star Tribune did not send the author of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
Taylor, who also owns the Lynx, told season ticket holders he would “miss being there to cheer on the team.”
