For their last game of the first part of the season, before the cut of the All-Star Game, the Bucks moved to Minnesota without Giannis antetokounmpo, nor Damian Lillard. At first glance, the evening promised to be complicated, but the victory was not impossible either, as the Wolves are irregular and can negotiate the turns badly.
“We knew that with the missing points, it would be complicated, but we thought we could really win this defense match. And that's what we did ”,, summary Doc Rivers.
Anthony Edwards clumsy and the attack of Minnesota very muddled (38% success in the shoot, 23% at 3-PTS), the Bucks managed to transform the meeting into a fight in the mud, where the baskets were difficult to score. Turning the game around 100 points is the perfect scenario.
And even when it accelerated in the last quarter, with more offensive sequences, Kyle Kuzma and his teammates held, each having brought their stone to the building in this victory.
“We were very resilient. We did a great job to fight ”, explains the former Wizards. “It was a boxing fight in a sense, with the two teams that put shoots but also lack it too. The referees let play. It was hard, physical near the circle. We have done a remarkable collective work against Edwards, which is phenomenal. Brook Lopez put important free throws, Kevin Porter Jr. made a crowded match, Gary Trent Jr. marked important shots. »»
A feeling of satisfaction
“We assured the rear of each other”adds Brook Lopez, who scored the two decisive free throws in the last seconds. “We communicated, we made the right choices, we played with energy. It was a good victory. »»
As it was the last Bucks match before the All-Star Game, the Wisconsin franchise has just finished, on a good note, the first part of its season. So, doc rivers, satisfied?
“I really like this team. I love him. As soon as we had to win something, we did it and we are the only team to be able to say the same ”, Recalls the coach, in reference to the mid-season tournament won in December 2024. “We started with a 2-8 and we are at 29-24. We would have liked to do better, having lost matches that we could clearly have won, but they are last. I hope we will be healthy for the second part of the season. »»
