 have won 10 of 11 and 16 of 18 to move a season-high 31 games over .500. With their latest win, they surpassed last season's victory total.Derrick Rose had 23 points for the Timberwolves, who played without Karl-Anthony Towns for the second consecutive game.After the score was tied at 113, the Bucks finally pulled away in the fourth quarter with a decisive 16-2 run capped by Nikola Mirotic's driving layup and two free throws from Middleton that gave Milwaukee a 129-115 advantage with 4:58 to play. Minnesota never threatened after that as the Bucks dialed up their energy and improved to 25-5 at home.Brook Lopez had 19 points for the Bucks and a technical foul for scowling at a prone Dario Saric after a dunk in the closing minutes.Taj Gibson scored a season-high 20 points for Minnesota, one better than his previous best set in Friday's night win over New York. Andrew Wiggins had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Anthony Tolliver finished with 17 points.The Timberwolves overcame the first missed game of Towns' career to beat the Knicks 115-104 on Friday, but not the second.Towns' streak of 303 consecutive starts ended when he was placed in concussion protocol after being involved in a car accident Thursday on the way to the airport. He was cleared to fly to New York, but ruled out after further medical examination Friday. He accompanied the team to Milwaukee, but was unable to play due to the league's concussion program.The 2015 No. 1 draft pick's streak of starts was the longest to begin a career since 1970-71. He just played in his second All-Star Game last weekend and is the team's leading scorer, averaging 23.1 points and 12 rebounds per game.With Towns watching in street clothes, the Timberwolves' bench came up big, outscoring the Bucks' reserves 37-20 and hustling their way to a 70-69 Minnesota lead at halftime.Tolliver, averaging 4.3 points, had 14 in the first half. Gibson and Wiggins each scored 12 and Rose had 10, including a floater in the lane that put Minnesota ahead at the break. Tolliver also stuffed Antetokounmpo's driving dunk attempt with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.Rose scored seven points in the third, including a three-point play at the end of the period that gave Minnesota a 109-107 lead. Middleton scored 13 straight points in the quarter to keep the Bucks close.The Timberwolves slipped to 9-21 on the road.TIP-INSTimberwolves: Before the game, Towns took some initial steps toward being cleared to return. . G Tyus Jones played in his third consecutive game after missing 13 with a sprained left ankle. ... C Gorgui Dieng missed his second straight game for personal reasons.Bucks: G George Hill exited with a left adductor strain in the first half and did not return. . The last time the teams met in October, the Bucks routed the Timberwolves 125-95 for Minnesota's worst home loss since 2011.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Host the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.Bucks: At the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Feb 23, 2019The Milwaukee Bucks will get a chance to match up against a Western Conference team on Saturday, and if recent history holds form, they are about to feast.To be fair, the Bucks have feasted on just about everybody of late. They will enter Saturday's matchup at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves having won 15 of their last 17 games, including a 98-97 victory over the Boston Celtics at home on Thursday in their return from the All-Star break.Against teams from the West, the Bucks have been even more impressive lately. Milwaukee last lost against a Western Conference team on Jan. 27, when it dropped a 118-112 decision at Oklahoma City. The Bucks' last loss to a Western Conference team before that was on Dec. 7 at home against the Golden State Warriors.The Bucks do have six defeats against Western Conference teams, though, including one to the lowly Phoenix Suns on Nov. 23, so the Timberwolves can take that to heart when visiting their neighboring state to the east.Figuring out a way to slow Giannis Antetokounmpo figures to be essential. The All-Star Game captain scored 30 points against the Celtics on Thursday, including 12 in the fourth quarter. His 25th game of at least 30 points this season came after scoring just four points in the first quarter."It says a lot about this team, how focused we are to get back on track," Antetokounmpo said about pulling off a hard-fought victory in the return from the break. "Obviously, you turn the ball over a lot (Thursday), and it's OK. We just came back from the All-Star break. We tried to get back on track and we will watch tape. We're going to try to be better offensively." Antetokounmpo also grabbed 13 rebounds Thursday and has 41 double-doubles in 54 games this season.The Wolves have their own All-Star in Karl-Anthony Towns, who has scored 23.1 points per game with 12.0 rebounds, but he did not play Friday in New York after he was involved in a car crash Thursday in Minneapolis.A concussion forced him to miss the first game of his career, breaking his consecutive-game streak at 303, but the Timberwolves won 115-104 against the Knicks. Towns is listed as day-to-day and his status for Saturday is unknown.Where Antetokounmpo has led his team atop the Eastern Conference standings, Towns and Andrew Wiggins (17.9 points per game) have only been able to fashion a 28-30 record.But there are signs of life. The Wolves are on a three-game winning streak, but that came off a run where they lost six of seven.Since head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired following a 108-86 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 6, Minnesota is 9-9 under interim coach Ryan Saunders. The Wolves are three games out of the conference's final playoff spot with two teams in front of them to become playoff eligible.But Towns insists that all is not lost, showing that he has taken on the role of vocal leader as well."We're in a good position," Towns, before he was ruled out, said, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "It doesn't matter about statistical things, individual things, stuff like that. We still have a great chance to make the playoffs. We just have to capitalize on the opportunity." The Bucks are getting healthy quickly. Antetokounmpo had a recent bout with knee soreness but appeared to play at full strength Thursday.Nikola Mirotic made his Bucks debut Thursday after coming over in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and recovering from a calf injury. He played 11 minutes and scored eight points against the Celtics.--Field Level Media
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