Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 102-96 win over Minnesota Timberwolves

Cross Matchups

It was clear from tip-off, one of the biggest goals Minnesota had defensively was to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis entered the game second in the NBA in scoring and is the main hub the Bucks run their offense through.

In order to slow down the Greek Freak, Minnesota played the majority of the game in a cross-matchup giving defensive star Jimmy Butler the assignment of Giannis. This resulted in Timberwolves power forward Taj Gibson matching up on Tony Snell.

Gibson is no defensive slouch. Most teams will not go out of their way to attack Gibson, as the Timberwolves have plenty of better options on the court. But Gibson is most comfortable banging inside, with Snell playing on the perimeter the Bucks had a clear mismatch to attack.

The Bucks made no effort of attacking Gibson. Snell was found in the corner or stagnant on the wing, simply looking to provide spacing. In the first half, the Bucks ran a Snell-Henson pick-and-roll on consecutive possessions that resulted in back-to-back buckets, only to abandon that strategy late in the game.

In the post-season, teams will prepare and scout much more heavily than in the regular season. Game specific defensive matchups, like Minnesota’s on Thursday will become the norm. If Milwaukee wants to have success later in the year they will need to exploit these type of mismatches.