With just one win in six games played, it’s quite clear in which direction this Bucks season is going. They’ve not only lost five of six games, but four of those were by double digits and one of them was against the defensively challenged Chicago Bulls. Tyler Herro has been a positive with his 22 ppg average, but even he hasn’t been able to be as efficient from the field as he was last season. Up next are the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves, so maybe Milwaukee can take advantage of their injury situation here?
Life without Ant-Man has been up and down for Minnesota, who have dropped three of four games with their only win coming against the sub-par Clippers. LaMelo Ball has looked average at best without his running mate, raising concerns about the team’s short-term future until their superstar returns to the lineup. Playing a team like Milwaukee should be slightly easier than it was playing the Spurs, so I anticipate LaMelo to do a lot better than the 10 points and 5 turnovers on 20% shooting he had against them. Milwaukee does like to run, but the question is, can LaMelo speed up his team and run away with this one?
Minnesota’s hot-cold start to the season has me worried here, even against an opponent like the Bucks. I’d much rather focus on the total market as opposed to trusting the T-Wolves to win by double-digits. Milwaukee plays the third-fastest pace, while Minnesota ranks ninth in that department. In their last three games without Anthony Edwards, the Wolves are allowing five points more per game, and the Bucks' defense ranks 28th, allowing 126.2 per game. I’ll be backing the over here.
Bucks vs Timberwolves prediction: Over 233.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
