The Wolves started off a three-game homestand on a bit of a low note. The offense couldn’t get going, and the defense had a hard time slowing down Milwaukee’s role players as the Bucks took the 125-95 win. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t have his best scoring night, but finished with a well-rounded line of 15 points 12 rebounds and six assists.
The start was the culprit in this one—the Wolves trailed 27-16 at the end of the first and were down 63-38 at the half. Malcolm Brogdon and Ersan Ilyasova both had strong starts, with 13 and 12 points in the half, respectively. The Wolves, by contrast, had no players in double digits at the break.
The Wolves came out strong in the third quarter with Karl-Anthony Towns getting a few quick buckets. Towns led the Wolves in scoring, finishing with a final line of 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal. This game certainly didn’t go the way the Wolves hoped, but there’s nothing to do other than to shake it off and move forward. The team hosts LeBron James and the Lakers on Monday night.
A few things I noticed:
- Josh Okogie is very good. He threw down yet another highlight reel dunk tonight and he’s already able to defend NBA players at a high level. As his understanding of defensive schemes rises to meet his already elite defensive instincts, he could easily be one of the best backcourt defenders in the league. Okogie’s offense is centered around his athleticism, but his shot has been a pleasant surprise as well.
- Towns was very good in the third quarter. He’s being asked to do a lot on defense anchoring the team behind a guard group that let opposing players get by them way too easily in this contest. He did good work, blocking two shots. On offense, Towns finally started to hit his spots in the third quarter. When his teammates make an effort to get Towns the ball in the places he needs it, he’s very effective.
- Rebounding continues to be a problem, especially at the guard spots. Eric Bledsoe had six boards, Antetokounmpo had 12 and Khris Middleton had four. Towns does a good job of getting defensive boards over his man but he often falls victim to opposing guards coming in to snatch away boards. Wolves guards need to grab someone and box out every time a shot goes up.