MINNEAPOLIS — Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves' early-season struggles received a significant boost when they beat the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Even as the Wolves were trying to find their way, that win provided a glimmer of what that team could be.
As they search for an identity so far this season, a matchup against an undefeated Bucks team offered another chance for the Wolves to show who they are.
The Bucks showed the Timberwolves they still have a long way to go in a 115-102 Milwaukee victory Friday night at Target Center. Milwaukee is now 8-0 for the first time in franchise history.
After Naz Reid blocked one of his shots in the fourth quarter and dunked at the other end to cut Milwaukee's lead to eight, Giannis Antetokounmpo took over in the fourth quarter when he finished his first triple-double of the season — 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. The Wolves, who got 24 from Anthony Edwards and 22 from Karl-Anthony Towns, got it back to nine with slightly more than five minutes remaining but didn't have enough to get all the way back.
D'Angelo Russell continued his struggles with nine points on 3-for-15 shooting. Jrue Holiday added 29 for the Bucks.
The third quarter started as a disaster for the Wolves, who trailed by just seven at halftime before falling behind by as many as 22.
At one point, the Wolves allowed Grayson Allen to tip in a missed free throw, which came just before a bad Russell turnover and layup from Holiday. That prompted a Chris Finch timeout and some boos to come down again from the Target Center crowd.
The Wolves looked unfocused and undisciplined, especially compared to the Bucks, who were without their second-best scorer in Khris Middleton.
The Wolves' bench again provided a lift in trimming the lead to 11 by the fourth quarter as Reid provided a boost and Jaylen Nowell regained his scoring touch after a few off games with 13 points.
After Finch said Russell seemed to lack confidence in Tuesday's loss to Phoenix, Russell came out and was aggressive searching for his shot early. He registered the first three shot attempts for the Wolves, five in his first shift overall, and hit two.
The Wolves looked like they were putting forth the requisite effort on both ends of the floor, but Milwaukee was just executing at a higher level when it had the ball. The Bucks shot 63% in the first quarter before cooling off in the second (33%). The Wolves were able to make it a 61-54 game by halftime, but didn't have the consistency to execute at a high level against a Milwaukee team with a championship pedigree.
The Wolves continue their four-game homestand on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets.
