The Timberwolves walked into Target Center on Monday with a rough patch hanging over them, having dropped three of their previous four. They also had to get through the night without Anthony Edwards, who is out after right knee surgery, and Terrence Shannon Jr., who was sidelined by a left hip contusion. Milwaukee came in at 1-5, but the Bucks weren’t just there to roll over.
Minnesota still handled the job, beating Milwaukee 112-100 in a game that asked plenty of the Wolves before they finally pulled away. The Bucks hung around for most of the night and played well enough to keep the pressure on, but Minnesota stayed connected and got the win.
The biggest reason the Wolves survived the night was LaMelo Ball. He came into the game questionable with a right wrist contusion that had bothered him for multiple games, but Monday looked nothing like a player fighting through that issue. Ball said he had a pregame nap and spent some time before tip-off with his kid, LaOne, and he came out looking fresh.
He finished with 35 points in 33 minutes, both season highs, while shooting 12 of 21 from the field and 6 of 13 from 3-point range. Most of that damage came before halftime, when Minnesota needed him most. Ball already had 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting by the break, while the rest of the Wolves combined for 24 points on 9 of 34 shooting.
“He was kind of the only guy connecting for us on offense in the first half,” Finch told reporters postgame. “That was much needed, not just for him, but for us overall.”
Ball had been searching for a rhythm earlier this season, and Monday finally gave him one. His shot was working, and he looked fully comfortable getting to his spots. Finch also liked the way Ball created his looks, saying he did a good job finding offense in the flow and through actions.
Even with the scoring explosion, Ball had just three assists, his fewest in a game this season. Finch has made it clear he still wants Ball to balance scoring and passing without Edwards in the lineup, but Monday was a night when Minnesota needed the scoring first. Ball also picked up four fouls, though three came in the second half, and they didn’t stop him from finishing with his best offensive outing of the year.
Another key piece for Minnesota was Kuminga, who didn’t fill up the scoring column but still made his presence felt all over the floor. He scored eight points in 33 minutes, shot 3 of 8, and committed four turnovers. Even so, Finch was quick to point out how much he brings.
“He’s just kind of doing everything we need him to do, and a lot of it in a timely manner,” Finch told reporters postgame. “We’d be lost without him right now, for sure.”
Kuminga’s impact showed up in the less flashy areas. He grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots, including one goaltend the officials missed. It was the second time in his career that he played at least 33 minutes while scoring 10 or fewer points; the other came last week in Cleveland, when he scored 10 in 36 minutes.
That’s become a familiar pattern this season. Kuminga is settling into a role that doesn’t revolve around scoring, and the Wolves are leaning on him for defense and rebounding. Against Milwaukee, that was enough to matter in a big way.
The game also had a stretch that could have turned into one of those old Wolves collapses. Minnesota looked sluggish early, and Milwaukee took advantage.
The Bucks outscored the Wolves 29-19 in the second quarter, got downhill too easily against the first line of defense, and punished Minnesota on the glass. Milwaukee collected 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and turned them into 16 second-chance points.
“We were running in, and the ball would go over our head,” Finch said postgame. “I was pretty disappointed with that at halftime.”
In the past, that kind of start might have snowballed into a bad home loss. This version of the Wolves didn’t let it. Minnesota scored 64 points in the second half while shooting 48.9% from the floor, and the energy never fully slipped away.
The effort showed up in all kinds of ways, from Bones Hyland clapping on defense to Ayo Dosunmu racing down the floor for a quick layup to Joan Beringer battling on the glass. The Bucks kept making it a game, but Minnesota kept finding enough togetherness to answer.
Instead of letting injuries and a shaky start drag them into a worse result, the Wolves held steady and finished the night with the kind of win they needed.
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