After nearly three-quarters of sloppy basketball, the Milwaukee Bucks awoke and rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-96 on Thursday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Bucks trailed by 20-points midway through the third quarter, then started to turn up the defensive pressure to pull out the win. The Bucks closed the game on a 38-22 run and held the Timberwolves to 4-of-19 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks got 26 points from point guard Eric Bledsoe and 22 points and 10 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead the way. A Bledsoe three-pointer with 2:25 left to play, gave the Bucks their first lead.
The Bucks ended a two-game losing streak after suffering losses to Charlotte last Saturday and Chicago last Tuesday.
The Bucks (18-15) hit the road tonight to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-15). The Thunder has won 11 of its last 14 games, including six straight. Defending MVP Russell Westbrook is starting to heat up. He’s averaging almost a triple-double, 24.0 points, 10.0 assists and 9.3 rebounds a game.
The Thunder beat the Bucks in their only other meeting this season, 110-91 back on Halloween in Milwaukee.