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Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 106-104 win over Minnesota Timberwolves

By Jordan Treske

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 01: Kelan Martin #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves blocks a shot by Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on January 01, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 01: Kelan Martin #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves blocks a shot by Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on January 01, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 01: (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 01: (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

No offense, but…

Wednesday night’s game was far from a crisp scoring display for both the Bucks and the Wolves and it was certainly reflected in the numbers. The Bucks finished with their second-worst shooting performance from downtown this season as they only connected on 25 percent of their 36 attempts from that range of the floor.

That informed why Milwaukee posted a 102.9 offensive rating, the fifth-lowest mark they’ve posted for a game this season, per NBA.com/stats. Along with that, the Bucks logged their third-lowest true shooting percentage for a game this year at 50.3 percent, ranking ahead of their losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.

The saving grace to the Bucks’ offensive performance was their ability to penetrate the paint and gradually wear down the Wolves’ interior defense where they finished with 54 paint points and went 21-of-31 shooting from the restricted area for the night.

Minnesota meanwhile relied on their 3-point shooting (15-of-46, 32.6 percent) and their ability to get to the free throw line (21-for-28, 75 percent) to buoy what was an otherwise depleted offensive performance, especially without rotation regulars like Jeff Teague, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins for the night.

In spite of the circumstances, the Bucks being able to pull out an incredibly ugly victory may come in handy come playoff time when the game naturally slows down and they’ll have to work a little harder for buckets, as was the case Wednesday.

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