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Seemingly en route to taking another giant leap toward securing home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Timberwolves wasted 36 minutes of great work with a colossal fourth-quarter collapse on Tuesday in Milwaukee, falling 110-103 to the Bucks.
The Wolves were out-scored 40-13 in the fourth quarter as their five-game winning streak came to a screeching halt.
Minnesota led by 24 in the second half and by 20 early in the fourth quarter, but that deficit was erased entirely on a triple from A.J. Green to knot the score with three and a half minutes to play.
The game nearly went off the rails moments later, as Kevin Porter Jr. and Rudy Gobert got into a quarrel that resulted in double technical fouls for Porter Jr. and Gobert and an additional tech whistled on Gary Trent Jr. Anthony Edwards hit the ensuing free throw to put Minnesota back in front for his first point of the frame.
But Edwards turned the ball over on Minnesota’s next possession, which resulted in a Bucks’ transition dunk. The next possession ended in the exact same fashion, and the Bucks went up three.
Minnesota (46-33) was bamboozled by Milwaukee’s zone defense as the Wolves were timid and directionless on the perimeter. Soft passes were routinely deflected or intercepted.
Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo played integral roles in Minnesota building such a large advantage Tuesday. The duo combined for nine triples off the bench, six of which came from DiVincenzo. Minnesota largely limited Giannis Antetokounmpo thanks to a strong defensive effort from Julius Randle. The all-world forward finished with a triple-double, but had just 22 points on a night where he struggled mightily from the free-throw line.
But all that still wasn’t enough to build a cushion big enough to sustain such a meltdown. Minnesota went 4 for 20 in a fourth quarter in which it committed eight turnovers.
The Bucks closed with Antetokounmpo and four bench players — Bobby Portis, who was making his return after a 25-game suspension, Gary Trent Jr., Porter Jr. and Green.
The latter three players drove the bus on Milwaukee knocking off Minnesota prior to the all-star break when the Bucks, who are without Damian Lillard for the foreseeable future, beat the Wolves at Target Center. They were pivotal again Tuesday in delivering a major blow to Minnesota’s hopes of landing a top four seed.
The Wolves were set to be the No. 4 seed in the West with a win Tuesday. Instead, Thursday’s game in Memphis looks like a must win if Minnesota is even to avoid the play-in tournament.
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The Wolves were out-scored 40-13 in the fourth quarter as their five-game winning streak came to a screeching halt.
Minnesota led by 24 in the second half and by 20 early in the fourth quarter, but that deficit was erased entirely on a triple from A.J. Green to knot the score with three and a half minutes to play.
The game nearly went off the rails moments later, as Kevin Porter Jr. and Rudy Gobert got into a quarrel that resulted in double technical fouls for Porter Jr. and Gobert and an additional tech whistled on Gary Trent Jr. Anthony Edwards hit the ensuing free throw to put Minnesota back in front for his first point of the frame.
But Edwards turned the ball over on Minnesota’s next possession, which resulted in a Bucks’ transition dunk. The next possession ended in the exact same fashion, and the Bucks went up three.
Minnesota (46-33) was bamboozled by Milwaukee’s zone defense as the Wolves were timid and directionless on the perimeter. Soft passes were routinely deflected or intercepted.
Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo played integral roles in Minnesota building such a large advantage Tuesday. The duo combined for nine triples off the bench, six of which came from DiVincenzo. Minnesota largely limited Giannis Antetokounmpo thanks to a strong defensive effort from Julius Randle. The all-world forward finished with a triple-double, but had just 22 points on a night where he struggled mightily from the free-throw line.
But all that still wasn’t enough to build a cushion big enough to sustain such a meltdown. Minnesota went 4 for 20 in a fourth quarter in which it committed eight turnovers.
The Bucks closed with Antetokounmpo and four bench players — Bobby Portis, who was making his return after a 25-game suspension, Gary Trent Jr., Porter Jr. and Green.
The latter three players drove the bus on Milwaukee knocking off Minnesota prior to the all-star break when the Bucks, who are without Damian Lillard for the foreseeable future, beat the Wolves at Target Center. They were pivotal again Tuesday in delivering a major blow to Minnesota’s hopes of landing a top four seed.
The Wolves were set to be the No. 4 seed in the West with a win Tuesday. Instead, Thursday’s game in Memphis looks like a must win if Minnesota is even to avoid the play-in tournament.
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