Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 130-105 win over Minnesota Timberwolves
By Dalton Sell
Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday show off their defense in Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Timberwolves
With a combined three All-Defensive team nominations between the two, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday need very little introduction on the defensive end.
That defensive prowess between the two was on full display against Minnesota, as they stuffed the stat sheet. Holiday notched three steals in the contest by staying active on defense at all times. These numbers will only increase the guard’s career-best 1.8 steals per game this season, which also comes in as the second-highest mark in the association.
In addition to his active hands defensively, Holiday did a solid job of keeping his assignment in check throughout the contest. Although Rookie of the Year candidate Anthony Edwards scored 24 points in the contest, Holiday made him work for every basket as he shot just 8-for-21 from the floor. While all of that cannot be attributed to Holiday’s presence, it is safe to say that his efforts helped make the rookie’s night as difficult as possible.
Meanwhile, Lopez stuffed the stat sheet with two blocks and two steals each. Lopez was active down low all night, which played a large part in the Timberwolves scoring just 34 points in the paint in the contest. Contributing 18 points as well, Lopez had a solid all-around performance in Milwaukee’s win. His defense has been called obsolete periodically throughout the season, but performances like these show how valuable Lopez can be on that side of the ball.