Preseason Game 1 Recap: Bucks 97 Timberwolves 116
The Milwaukee Bucks fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an up and down game
by Aiden Fermaner
06/10/26
The Bucks kicked off their preseason campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a disappointing but probably expected loss for the Bucks, highlighted by strong performances from Ryan Rollins and newcomer Kel’el Ware. Taylor Jenkins also looked like a new source of light as a coach for the Bucks.
The first quarter started well, led by Ryan Rollins, who got a quick four points before a minor eye injury. Jaime Jaquez was looking for his three-point shots exclusively in this first quarter, going 1/3 from three in the quarter. Kel’el Ware was a nice injection off the bench, impacting immediately with 4 boards in the quarter and was the captain of what seems to be a key game plan for Taylor Jenkins: rebounding. The Bucks were crashing every offensive glass to start this game, something Bucks fans haven't seen too often, and I think it looked great. We even saw AJ Green harassing the Timberwolves on the offensive glass and creating issues. The Bucks fizzled out towards the end of this quarter and went down 31-20.
The Bucks had a much better second quarter. The “fan favourite” Gary Trent Jr. was in the mix of it all with an efficient 8 points this quarter. Our defence was nothing spectacular, but I love the look of Kel’el Ware and Jericho Sims as our two big men running together. They both are versatile in their own right and offer an intimidating mix of size and athleticism. If we continue to focus on a rebound-centric game plan, then these two are the men for the job. We also got our first look at one of our two rookies, Brayden Burries. He started slow with nothing really to note. He did hit a nice pass fake three-pointer for his first preseason bucket. We go into the half down 60-48.
The third quarter was our best of the game, with the Bucks winning it 28-21. 3 of our main guards, KPJ, Ryan Rollins and Tyler Herro, were the catalysts for a great run, combining for 18 of our 28 points. This was our first look at our other rookie, Nate Ament, who came out firing with a quick 6 points in his four-minute stint this quarter. I also found my new favourite frontcourt, that is, Ware, Sims and Ament. I believe their combination of length and versatility is going to create problems in the future. We go into the fourth down 81-77.
The fourth quarter was a story Bucks fans have seen all too many times. We gave up a game-high 35 points to the Wolves' second and third-stringers. We had major struggles on the boards, losing the battle 4-12 this quarter. Brayden Burries looked better this quarter and closer to his Summer League dominance with 4 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Overall, it was a huge struggle quarter, with very little effort from the Bucks. Can we blame fatigue for this fourth-quarter lapse, even though the season hasn’t started yet? Let's hope some small adjustments can be made, and we can avoid these really negative quarters in the future. We finished the game losing 97-116.
A few final notes to recap this game for the Bucks. Jaime Jaquez struggled to get into the game tonight, and we should expect much higher production from him as he gets settled. Ryan Rollins and Kel’el Ware look like great pieces that should both be starting after their first preseason showing. Kyle Kuzma really struggled this game, which is worrying for how we can either fit him into the rotation this season or move on from him, but as a wise man once said, “It’s pre season calm down lol”.
MVP
My MVP for the game was neck and neck between Kel’el Ware and Ryan Rollins. This one is going to go to… Ryan Rollins. I think he made a serious impact on the game and was a real leader for the Bucks before weirdly fouling out for the first time in his career. He had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block on 50% from the field in only 14 minutes. Kel’el Ware had a great game, but I can’t get past Rollins efficiency and how great he looked on the court. I think we could see another big jump from him this year.
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