Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction: Can Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Take Down Bucks?
The Minnesota Timberwolves will play host to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night in Minneapolis. Can Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves find success at home against Giannis and the Bucks? Ben Rajavuori breaks down this matchup and provides his pick against the spread in Bucks vs. Timberwolves.
Ben Rajavuori
| 5 min
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction: Can Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Take Down Bucks?
The Bucks and Timberwolves return to action tonight as the Milwaukee Bucks travel to Minneapolis to take on the Timberwolves in the Target Center. The Timberwolves are looking to end the season the same way they ended before the All-Star break: in first place. The Timberwolves currently sit in first place in the Western Conference with a record of 39–16. They have won four games in a row going into the All-Star break and now have a big game to open the return from the break against the Bucks. The Bucks are sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35–21 and lost back-to-back games heading into the All-Star break. The Timberwolves are four-point favorites tonight over the Bucks. Can they cover?
BUCKS VS. TIMBERWOLVES DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: February 23, 2024
- Game Time: 10:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction
The Bucks are 3–7 under new head coach Doc Rivers. While the Bucks' defense has had a slight tick upward, they have not done as well offensively. In fact, the Bucks rank 23rd in offensive rating since Doc Rivers took over in Milwaukee. Giannis still leads the team with 30.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, but he will have a very tough matchup against one of the best defensive bigs in the league, Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves are an extremely stingy team against opposing big men, and Giannis may have a hard time scoring in this game. With Khris Middleton still sidelined as well, the Bucks' offense may struggle against the top defense in the league tonight. Speaking of the Timberwolves defense, they have been a well-oiled machine all season so far. They are number one in points allowed per game (106.7), number one in rebounds per game allowed (40.2), and number one in opponent field goal percentage per game (44.6%). Anthony Edwards has proven to be one of the best two-way players in the league, as he is leading the Timberwolves with 26.3 points per game, but is also one of the best defenders on the team. The Timberwolves have a deep bench and are well coached under Chris Finch, and their ceiling is very high when their offense can keep up with their defense. The last time these two met, which was just back on February 8th, the Timberwolves blew the Bucks out on their home floor, 129–105. While Damian Lillard did not play in that game, the Timberwolves still won by 24 points and it was mostly a non-competitive game that was also played in Milwaukee. They will be in Minneapolis tonight on the Timberwolves floor, where they have played much better. The Bucks have also been abysmal on the road this season. The Bucks are under .500 on the road with a record of 12–14, while they have been one of the best teams at home, with a record of 23–7 on their home court. The Bucks have also not played well as underdogs this season. They have been an underdog in six games this season, and they’re 0–6 straight up and 1-5 against the spread in those six games, having lost five games straight against the spread as an underdog. I expect the Timberwolves' defense to be too much for the Bucks tonight and that they will get another solid win at home to open the second half of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction
Pick: Timberwolves -4 (-115) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
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