Bucks Zone

The 3 key takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' win vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Bucks managed to end 2022 on a high note.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks (23-12) ended the calendar year on a high note, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves (16-20) in front of their fans at the Fiserv Forum 114-123. Here are the three key takeaways from the game.

Another day, another Giannis MVP performance

You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him. That sounds like an accurate description of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his performance last night, in which he showed to the world he is still near the top of all the MVP leaderboards.

The Greek Freak finished with another absurd stat line, scoring 43 points along with 20 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one steal. And all that with high efficiency, shooting 14-23 from the floor, 14-21 from the free-throw line, and even 1-1 from deep.

Bobby Buckets

Playing without Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, Giannis was in desperate need of some help, and the hero that has been stepping up all season delivered. Bobby Portis Jr. came off to bench to notch another double-double, and only further prolong his case for the 6th Man of the Year award.

The big man finished with 22 and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes of play, starting off the game right by scoring 11 in the first quarter and setting the tone. After the game, Bobby spoke about his role:

“If I get the ball on a nightly basis, I'm going to score,” Portis said. “That's what I'm good at: trying to put the ball in the hole and trying to pass the ball to the rim, like my coach growing up used to say.”

Ingles shows out

But Giannis needed more than Bobby dropping buckets to snap the losing streak, and he got help in the form of an unlikely hero, as Joe Ingles showed up and played his best game in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform.

The Australian scored 14 points with 10 assists and five rebounds, rounding up an all-around performance that had Bucks fans buzzing. Ingles was hot from deep, hitting 4-7 shots from three-point land.

Ingles scored eight of those points in the third quarter when the Bucks managed to turn the game around in their favour, playing a big part in the 39-22 run that Milwaukee put on in that period to allow them to coast to the win in the 4th quarter.

“Joe's fingerprints were all over (the second half)”" Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He gave us a big boost and a toughness that we needed.”

What's next

The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.