Top 5 highlights from Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves ft. Damian Lillard's dagger step-back - February 23
The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis as part of the NBA's ten-game slate. This was the second game of their season series with the Bucks, with their previous encounter ending with a 129-105 win on Feb. 9.
The Wolves sit atop the West, going 39-17, while the Bucks, 36-21 come off two consecutive losses prior to the All-Star break. The Timberwolves, aiming for their fifth consecutive win, are set to face a challenging opponent in the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks, who experienced a slump with two losses before the All-Star break and a 4-7 record under Coach Doc Rivers, began well, especially with Brook Lopez's hot start going 4 of 4 from the 3-point line. This gave the Bucks a four-point lead in the first quarter. The Bucks stole the road game with 112-107 led by Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Top 5 highlights from Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Here's a closer look at the best highlights from the marquee Bucks vs Wolves matchup:
#5 Brook Lopez hot start from 3-point line
The 'Splash Mountain' as the Bucks fans love to call him, paid the Wolves' number one-ranked defense mightly for pushing back off Giannis Antetokounmpo, with ample space for the 7-footer to catch and shoot.
#4 Rudy Gobert blocks Bobby Portis
The Wolves defense relies heavily on Rudy Gobert's defensive prowess, with his ability to contest quick guards to big centers.
His 2.35 m wingspan deterred three separate plays for the Bucks before making the final block on Bobby Portis' desperate shot clock heave to shut their offense down.
#3 Anthony Edwards breaks the Bucks defense all by himself
The face of the franchise continued to torch the Bucks' weak defense by driving all the way to the rim from the perimeter after beating Damian Lillard to his spot and elevating all the way to finish at the rim, despite Lopez's contest for an easy two points.
He split Jae Crowder's soft double by throwing the ball into the empty space between Jae and Dame before taking off his left foot.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo steals the ball from Karl Anthony Towns and dunks it with Anthony Edwards on him
The Bucks switched Lillard with Jae Crowder whenever the Wolves would try to isolate and pick on Dame at defense. Antetokounmpo rushed to help in the switch sealing off Towns' dribble and getting the steal.
With Edwards and Antetokounmpo one-on-one in transition, the 2x MVP effortlessly blew past Edwards for a dunk.
#1 Damian Lillard in the clutch with a big three and step back two
Lillard has been excellent in the clutch throughout his career and showed why the Bucks made the trade for him in the offseason by hitting one of the hardest shots in the game - a fadeaway three from the wing, contested by two defenders.
With the Bucks lead at 110-107, Lillard hit the dagger to go up by five and sealed the win for the Bucks, tying their season series.