Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch praised LaMelo Ball’s offensive performance and Trey Lyles’ contribution after the Timberwolves defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 on Monday, Nov. 2. Ball scored a season-high 34 points, while Minnesota improved to 5-3 despite shooting 42.7% from the field.
Ball scored 13 of Minnesota’s first 17 points and finished with 24 in the first half. Finch said the guard’s early three-pointers helped stabilize an offense that struggled to find other contributors early.
“Yeah, it was obvious all his early threes went in and he’s kind of the only guy connecting for us on offense in the first half,” Finch said. “So, that was much needed not just for him but for us overall.”
Finch was also pleased that Ball generated much of his offense within the team’s system.
“What I liked about him, most of it all came in the flow,” he said. “Even if it was self-generated, it was through a lot of good actions.”
Minnesota had problems on the glass in the second quarter, allowing Milwaukee to collect second-chance opportunities. The Bucks finished with 18 offensive rebounds, compared with 21 for the Timberwolves.
“Just in the second quarter, obviously, they just were beating us to every rebound,” Finch said. “They were running in unchecked. We were running in and then the ball would go over our head.”
The coach said Minnesota improved after halftime by staying out of defensive rotations and keeping more size on the floor.
Finch also highlighted Trey Lyles’ role in the third quarter. Lyles scored 12 points in 21 minutes, helping Minnesota regain control after Milwaukee had taken the lead.
“Yeah, huge. You know, just made some big shots, got to the hoop, made a kind of little layup over size when he had an advantage there,” Finch said. “He’s just such a steady, smart player.”
The coach added that he trusted Lyles to make decisions with the ball.
“I feel really confident putting the ball in his hands, too, and getting him involved in the action,” Finch said. “You just kind of know you’re going to get a good — if you don’t get a good shot, he’s going to make a good decision.”
Finch also discussed the importance of increasing Minnesota’s pace, particularly without Anthony Edwards, who is recovering from knee surgery.
“We’ve been emphasizing it even more so,” Finch said. “We weren’t running well off of defensive rebounding. We’ve been playing good defense and making people miss, and when we’ve been able to get clean rebounds, we just kind of weren’t running.”
Jonathan Kuminga, who finished with 10 rebounds and four blocks, also earned praise for his defensive work.
“He made it a point to really go hunt the ball and that was big for us,” Finch said. “He just continues to play the perfect role. He’s making timely shots. He’s really letting things come to him.”
Finch said Kuminga had become particularly important with Minnesota missing several players.
“We’d be lost without him right now for sure,” he said.
The Timberwolves visit the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
