Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Odds 08/02/24
Calendar icon Updated 12 Mar 07:55

Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Odds 08/02/24

Kaleb Vanderhorst

Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves. Shape of the Teams

The Milwaukee Bucks face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Fiserv Forum Arena on Thursday in what should be a pretty good game. While the Bucks are still struggling with some injuries here and there, with Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton definitely out, they still have Giannis Antetokounmpo to pick up the slack.

Averaging a stellar 34.2 points per game over the last five games, the Greek Freak has really been stepping it up, even if they have taken some unfortunate losses recently. 

Without strong secondary scoring options like Damian Lillard or Khris Middleton, teams have simply been playing much stronger help-side defence against Giannis.

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On Minnesota’s side of things, they seem to be one of the only rosters in the NBA right now that hasn’t been bitten by the injury bug. In particular, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have both been able to play 48 and 50 games so far this season, respectively.

Simply put, the Minnesota Timberwolves are firing on all cylinders while the Milwaukee Bucks are struggling to play at their full potential. 

Odds via Tonybet

Bucks vs Timberwolves  February 8, 6:00 p.m ET
Bucks odds  -121
Timberwolves odds  -103
Bucks spread +3.5  -173
Timberwolves -3.5   +134

Without Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez on the court, Giannis really has to pick up a lot of the slack, which can be hard, especially when double- and triple-teamed. Don’t get us wrong, this is THE Giannis Antetokounmpo we are talking about here, so a dub is always possible. There is just a lot more weight on the big man’s shoulders.

Karl-Anthony Towns, on the other hand, will be playing with his partners in crime, continuing to dominate on that pick-and-roll. Unfortunately, it’s really a lose-lose-lose situation for the Bucks, where you have to watch KAT roll to the basket, Rudy Gobert grab an alley oop, or let Anthony Edwards torch you from the perimeter.

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The Milwaukee Bucks will, without a doubt, give the third-seeded Timberwolves a rough time and maybe even take the game, but the momentum isn’t in their favour. It’s quite a large ask to beat one of the Western Conference’s top teams with a singular superstar.

Nonetheless, don’t be too surprised if the NBA game comes down to the wire after a grinding three quarters. In that case, it’ll come down to who is better in the clutch, KAT and Edwards or the Greek Freak.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Odds, Prediction

In all likelihood, the Timberwolves will shade toward Giannis on defence while spacing the floor on the offensive side of the ball. This strategy will minimize Giannis’ impact on defence by spreading the floor while trying to minimize the damage he caused on offence. 

You can’t stop a player like Giannis, but with a duo like Karl-Anthony Towns, the NBA’s best defensive big man, and Rudy Gobert, you can certainly slow him down.

That’s not even to mention Karl-Anthony Town’s recent shooting splits, where he has been lights out from deep over the last several games, at 44.4% from beyond the arch. Again, this should force Giannis away from the key, allowing Minnesota to take advantage of Brook Lopez’s absence and get some easy buckets.

Giannis and the Bucks will have to choose between giving easy shots to multiple 40%+ three point shooters or giving easy layups to Rudy Gobert at the basket. 

Milwaukee Bucks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Player Pick and Betting Tip

Anthony Edwards has slowly become one of the better shooting guards in the league, with a deep bag and silky smooth shot. Shooting 39.4% from three on the season and 46.9% over the last five games, he lights up teams if they give him even a foot of room.

Unfortunately for Bucks fans, Edwards will be getting much more than a foot of space on Thursday. Without Lillard or Middelton, Milwaukee lacks perimeter defence. And even if you do get a strong closeout on Edwards, he’s going to dump it to Gobert or pump fake and take a hard drive to the basket.

While Anthony Edwards could potentially have an off-shooting night or see some unexpected circumstances, the odds are he will have a strong scoring night. As long as the young guy plays his game and continues to hit trees at the rate he is, scoring over 25.5 points isn’t unrealistic.

Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.

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