3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ ugly loss to Minnesota Timberwolves

Pat Connaughton picked up right where he left off in his first action with the Milwaukee Bucks since his hand surgery

For the first time since fracturing his hand on February 10, Pat Connaughton took the floor for the Bucks on Saturday a little over a month following surgery.

Offensively, Connaughton immediately attempted to get himself going, and it worked as the guard scored 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Connaughton’s five 3-point makes were the most on the Bucks, getting himself into a nice groove from distance in his first game back. This shooting helped him tie Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis for the team-high in total point with 15. Despite the time off, Connaughton played like he had not missed a beat on the offensive end.

The veteran stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere throughout his 20 minutes played with three boards, two assists, and a steal to make his presence felt everywhere. As usual, Connaughton was making an impact with his hustle showing minimal signs of rust dispute the month off, playing his specific role to perfection. Like Lopez, seeing Connaughton back on the floor looking like himself was one of the few positive takeaways from this otherwise ugly matchup.

With the Bucks facing a tough schedule to close the regular season, getting both Connaughton and Lopez in the lineup will be massive additions, and their respective impacts were on display against the Timberwolves. The pair have already proven how important they are for this Bucks team, and having them back could be just the spark Milwaukee needs.

The Milwaukee Bucks will be back in action this Tuesday as they face the Chicago Bulls in the third meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals. Be sure to catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on Bally Sports Wisconsin.