Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for against Minnesota Timberwolves

After a three-game road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks are back at home tonight for the start of a three-game homestand, beginning with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Bucks went 2-1 on their road trip and won the final two games after being trounced by the Miami Heat to start the trip.

This is the first of two meetings between the Bucks and T’Wolves this season. Milwaukee has gone a perfect 6-0 against Minnesota in the last three seasons with their last loss coming on February 1st, 2018. Since the 2014-15 season, Milwaukee has gone 12-2 in their matchups. The last time the Bucks lost to the Timberwolves at home was way back on December 28th, 2013! Kevin Love led all scorers that night with 33 points to go along with 15 rebounds and six assists. Khris Middleton led the way for the Bucks that night with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

All of that is tossed out the window as this is a new Wolves team that is playing with a lot of confidence under head coach Chris Finch, someone who I have a lot of respect for. The Bucks are also still very injured and are not the same team as the last six meetings, so this should be a fun one!

How big of an impact will Bobby Portis have for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Minnesota Timberwolves?

The Bucks teased fans with their injury report before the game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday when Bobby Portis wasn’t listed after missing the first three games with a hamstring injury. He ended up being ruled out for the game and missed his fourth straight.

It’s a good sign, however, that Portis was very close to playing that game and I’m going to assume he’ll be available for tonight’s game against the Timberwolves (he’s been listed as probable, per the Bucks injury report). The Bucks could certainly use an influx of size as they started Thanasis Antetokounmpo against the Pacers and second-round rookie Sandro Mamukelashvili has been playing more minutes than anyone could have expected. It is probably a good sign for their frontcourt health that they assigned Mamukelashvili to the Wisconsin Herd yesterday.

Against a T’Wolves team that features one of the best offensive big men of all time in Karl-Anthony Towns, the Bucks could use all the help they can get in the frontcourt right now.

Even if Portis isn’t the best defensively, he still competes and is a relatively solid switchable big on the perimeter against a Finch-led offense that has a lot of screening actions both on and off the ball.

Offensively, we all know what Portis can do. He is a great floor-spacer that forces the defense to stretch out and cover him. He also attacks the offensive glass and can finish around the rim at a relatively solid rate. His energy would be a very welcomed addition to a Bucks team that could use any semblance of frontcourt help at the moment.