Bucks Hand Timberwolves 14th Straight Loss, 98-84
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Knight scored 14 points, O.J. Mayo and John Henson each had 12, and the Milwaukee Bucks handed the Minnesota Timberwolves their 14th straight loss, 98-84 on Friday night.
Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 10 points each to help the Bucks snap a four-game home skid.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota.
Kendall Marshall's 3-pointer gave Milwaukee a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves pulled within 10 later in the period but got no closer.
The Bucks took control of the game with a strong-shooting second quarter. Back-to-back 3s by Mayo early in the quarter put Milwaukee up for good at 27-24. Knight and Middleton closed out the quarter with consecutive 3s, giving the Bucks their largest lead of the first half at 53-38.
The Bucks shot 14 for 17 (82 percent) in the second quarter.
Milwaukee shot just 35 percent in the first quarter and trailed 22-19 while Minnesota made 50 percent of its shots.
The Bucks shooting cooled off to 40 percent in the third quarter but held a 72-58 lead.
Milwaukee finished at 52 percent for the game.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Mo Williams didn't play due to a sprained ankle he sustained in Wednesday's game against Phoenix. "It's still a little stiff," coach Flip Saunders said, adding that Williams could return to the lineup on Saturday. ... Miroslav Raduljica, who played for the Bucks last season, saw his first action since signing a 10-day contract on Thursday. "He's got pretty quick feet for a guy his size," Saunders said. "Big guys are hard to find."
Bucks: Ersan Ilyasova missed his ninth consecutive game as he continues to recover from a concussion. Coach Jason Kidd said he expects Ilyasova to accompany the team to London for its Jan. 15 game against the Knicks. "He's working out and he's getting close. He will go to London and we hope he will have the opportunity to play over there." ... Larry Sanders remained out due to personal reasons. ... The Bucks signed veteran Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract on Friday and waived Nate Wolters. Martin entered the game in the fourth quarter and finished with six points, including an emphatic dunk in the waning moments.
UP NEXT
Minnesota: Hosts San Antonio on Saturday.
Milwaukee: At Chicago on Saturday
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