Bucks lose to Timberwolves, spoiling Doc Rivers' home debut
Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots over Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on February 08, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Anthony Edwards had 26 points and nine assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves shot 21 of 41 from 3-point range to trounce the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 129-105 on Thursday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18, Naz Reid 17 and Rudy Gobert 16 as the Timberwolves spoiled the home debut of new Bucks coach Doc Rivers, whose No. 31 Marquette jersey hangs from the Fiserv Forum rafters.
Rivers opened his Milwaukee coaching tenure with a five-game trip during which the Bucks went 1-4.
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The Bucks were operating at far less than full strength.
Damian Lillard missed a second straight game and Khris Middleton also was out because of their sprained ankles, though Brook Lopez returned after missing three games as his wife gave birth to their child.
Both teams had short benches after making deals before Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Bucks sent Cam Payne and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Patrick Beverley, while Minnesota dealt Troy Brown, Shake Milton and a second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for Monte Morris. Neither Beverley nor Morris was available for Thursday night’s game.
Without Lillard or Payne, the Bucks had no pure point guards.
With the game out of reach late in the third quarter, the Bucks also opted to rest Giannis Antetokounmpo for the last 16 minutes to give him as much rest as possible before they play again on Friday.
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A.J. Green scored a career-high 27 points for the Bucks while shooting 7 of 8 from 3-point range. Jae Crowder had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists - all season highs. Antetokounmpo had 17 points and seven assists.
Minnesota pulled ahead for good with 10 minutes left in the second quarter and led 63-53 at the half.
The Timberwolves extended their edge to 91-64 late in the third as Reid capped a 17-3 run by dunking and drawing a foul for a 3-point play. The Timberwolves eventually led by as many as 28.