Matt Velazquez

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MINNEAPOLIS - Sometimes it's easy to overthink things. What to wear, where to eat, what movie to watch, etc. It happens to all of us.

When it comes to looking at NBA games, the same can also be true. Sometimes it's just better to keep it simple.

Considering the circumstances surrounding both teams, Friday's game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves provided a perfect example of things going the way reason dictates.

That's because the unbeaten Bucks absolutely throttled the crumbling Timberwolves, 125-95, in a game that was never particularly close. Milwaukee, which got out to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1971, never trailed, led by 11 points after the first quarter and refused to stop pounding Minnesota into submission, leading by as many as 34 in the second half.

“Tonight’s exactly how we want to play," Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "I think we did a great job moving the ball, playing hard. … We were playing hard defensively and we were moving the ball offensively, so we did a great job as a team.”

The Timberwolves have been a train wreck for two months now following Jimmy Butler's trade request. The organization has no clear direction, its core players don't get along and Tom Thibodeau, the team's head coach and president of basketball operations, is consistently and lustily getting booed at home games.

That booing picked up Friday in what went down as the franchise's worst loss under Thibodeau.

The Bucks, on the other hand, have become a well-oiled machine, humming along harmoniously in coach Mike Budenholzer's newly-installed system. After years of playing below their potential, the Bucks have put together a coach, scheme and roster that is built to elevate their stature in the Eastern Conference.

“It's been a complete turnaround," Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said. "Big credit to Bud. Not only do we have a great system that we play to our advantages, our strengths every night, he takes care of our bodies. We don't feel run down. We feel healthy. Everybody's able to play and for us, I think that's going to be the biggest thing. Just staying healthy. ...

“He holds everybody accountable. He treats Giannis the same way he treats the last guy on the bench, so we have an immense respect for him. Everybody's bought into the system and we enjoy playing for him.”

Exacerbating the Timberwolves' issues has been a regular occurrence for the Bucks this season. In the preseason, with Butler sitting out, the Bucks waxed the Timberwolves by 18 and 22 points in their two matchups.

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BOX SCORE:Bucks 125, Timberwolves 95

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Butler played Friday while Andrew Wiggins sat out due to injury, though the swap didn't make any difference.

Khris Middleton continued his blistering start from three-point range, going 4 for 7 on the way to 16 points, which matched Ersan Ilyasova for the team high on the night. Antetokounmpo had a quiet night by his superstar standards, scoring 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and six assists, but did make some noise in the third quarter when he threw down an emphatic jam over Taj Gibson.

Brogdon, playing at the Target Center for the first time since he partially tore his left quadriceps tendon there in February, was an efficient 6 of 8 from the floor for 13 points in the rout.

“It was a little bit in my mind walking into the arena today, but I was able to quickly get over it, focus and play a good game," Brogdon said.

More important than the individual performances, though, was the Bucks continued their trend of playing unselfishly. Offensively, 11 of the 13 players who took the floor recorded at least one assist, with Eric Bledsoe leading the squad with nine. Milwaukee recorded 32 assists on 49 made baskets, with players consistently making the extra pass or rewarding cutters with feeds inside.

That ball movement resulted in all 13 active Bucks players scoring before the game's end.

On defense, the Bucks outworked the Timberwolves throughout the night, moving well to get around screens, help each other, contest shots and force Minnesota into suboptimal looks. The Wolves finished the night at 32.1% shooting, including going 23.3% on three-pointers.

With another game coming Saturday against the Orlando Magic back home at Fiserv Forum, Budenholzer used the blowout as an opportunity to rest his players. No one played more than 26 minutes and everyone on the active roster played at least 10, with everyone sustaining the same high level of play.

“We’re playing well," center John Henson said. "Any time we win confidence picks up. As a team, everybody’s playing together, shooting it well.”

TAKEAWAYS

GETTING SOME RUN: Every active member of the Bucks got to play Friday night, with some players who have been buried on the bench getting their chance to shine.

Thon Maker, who had yet to play this season, rattled in his first shot – a three-pointer – to open the fourth quarter. He finished with eight points but committed four fouls in 12 minutes.

“I don’t know about turning down the aggressiveness, just maybe playing aggressive but smart, aggressive but maybe doing his work early, be in better position," Budenholzer said when asked about Maker, noting he was happy to see him contribute. "It’s the end of the game and there’s some kind of funky things. I wouldn’t put much into his four fouls.”

Pat Connaughton, who had only played a few minutes in a blowout of the Pacers last week, got some run in the first half as Budenholzer attempted to expand the rotation. Connaughton made more noise in the second half, though, with a couple high-flying dunks and a three-pointer.

Collectively, Budenholzer has liked what he has seen from players like Maker, Connaughton, Matthew Dellavedova and Sterling Brown in practice and hopes to find them more minutes.

“They’re working before and after practice and to see them go out and get an opportunity and put it into game situations against other teams (is great),"he said. "Those guys are great guys, great players and they’re ready to help us no matter the circumstance.”

ONE NITPICK: The Bucks put together a stellar showing on Friday night, but there was one clear area they could have been better: turnovers. Milwaukee gave the ball away 17 times, with the starters bearing the responsibility for 13 of those giveaways.