MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo was back in action Tuesday after sitting out one game because of tendinopathy in his left shoulder. The two-time MVP finished with his third straight triple-double -- 23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists -- as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 24-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103. The Bucks won their fifth straight and snapped Minnesota's five-game winning streak.
Antetokounmpo had been listed on the injury report as probable after sitting out a 111-107 victory at New Orleans on Sunday. On Tuesday, he continued his recent hot streak, one that saw him post 35 points, a career-high 20 assists, and 17 rebounds in a 126-113 victory at Philadelphia. He followed that up by getting 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121-115 overtime triumph at Miami. Antetokounmpo, 30, ranks second in the NBA in scoring (30.5) and sixth in rebounding (11.9).
The game also marked Bucks forward Bobby Portis' return from a 25-game suspension. Portis had been suspended after testing positive for the painkiller tramadol. He had 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Timberwolves. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said during his pregame availability Tuesday that it was human nature for Portis to feel angry about the suspension initially because "you feel like you've been branded a cheater when you know you didn't cheat." Rivers said it probably took Portis "a couple of good weeks" to get over that.
"He was doing the work, but his spirit wasn't Bobby," Rivers said. "And I don't know when that turned, but it definitely turned. I thought the workouts really helped him. As crazy as it sounds, card games on the plane helped him. Maybe he was winning. Maybe the guys were letting him win, who knows? But I thought all that stuff helped him. It takes a family sometimes to get through stuff, and I thought our guys really, really embraced him."
Milwaukee's victory was historic in nature. The Bucks produced their biggest fourth-quarter comeback since at least 1996-97, when the NBA began tracking play-by-play data. The Bucks had lost the last 276 regular-season or playoff games in which they had fallen behind by at least 20 points in the fourth quarter. After trailing 95-71 with less than 10 minutes left, Milwaukee scored 23 straight points and eventually tied it 97-all on AJ Green’s 3-pointer with 3:36 left.
On the Timberwolves’ next possession, Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. and Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert got into a skirmish that resulted in technical fouls for both players. Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr., who was jawing at Gobert at the end of the confrontation, got an additional technical foul. Anthony Edwards made a free throw to give Minnesota a 98-97 lead. But on Minnesota’s ensuing possession, Bobby Portis stole the ball from Edwards to set up a Porter dunk that put Milwaukee ahead for good and started an 8-0 run. Porter ended up with 21 points.
Despite the loss, the Timberwolves had a strong start to the game, with Edwards scoring 25 points, Donte DiVincenzo adding 24, and Naz Reid contributing 17. However, they shot only 4 of 20 overall and 2 of 12 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter while committing eight turnovers. According to Sportradar, this marked only the fifth time that a team has won a game it trailed by at least 24 points in the fourth quarter since 1996-97, which is when the NBA started tracking play-by-play data.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch expressed confidence in his team's ability to bounce back. "I have every confidence that we’ll be able to bounce back," Finch said. "We’ve got good guys. They’ll shake it off. We’ve had some tough losses before in the season. We didn’t expect to go undefeated over our last 10 games." Edwards acknowledged the team's struggle against the Bucks' defense, saying, "It was hard for every last one of us to get a look when they were in the zone. It messed us up."
Looking ahead, the Timberwolves are only a game out of fourth place in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff race, which gives them hope for a better playoff position. They will finish a five-game trip on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Memphis. The Timberwolves have home games against Brooklyn and Utah on Friday and Sunday, respectively, which could further impact their playoff standing.
As for the Bucks, they will host New Orleans on the same day, looking to extend their winning streak and solidify their position in the Eastern Conference. With both teams facing pivotal matchups ahead, the intensity of the playoff race is only expected to ramp up.
