Timberwolves Beat Bucks 112-100 as Ball Scores 34

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 at Target Center in Minneapolis on Monday, November 2, 2026. LaMelo Ball scored 34 points for Minnesota, which led after the first quarter, gave most of the lead back by halftime, then pulled away again after the break. Milwaukee fell to 1-6.

Ball carries the scoring load

Ball scored his 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 6-of-13 from three-point range. He added 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Minnesota needed the output. Star guard Anthony Edwards is out for several months after surgery on his right knee and did not play, and Ball carried the offense in his absence.

Ayo Dosunmu gave Minnesota a second line of production with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels scored 13. That spread kept Minnesota scoring even when Milwaukee tightened its defense on Ball in stretches of the second half.

Milwaukee fights back once, not twice

Minnesota led 29-18 after the first quarter and looked in control. Milwaukee cut a double-digit deficit to a single point by halftime, trailing just 48-47, and the game was open again at the break.

The third quarter settled it back in Minnesota's favor. The Timberwolves led 80-76 after three quarters and held Milwaukee off through the fourth to close out a 12-point win. Myles Turner led Milwaukee's scorers among the confirmed lines with 13 points. Rookie Brayden Burries made his first NBA start for Milwaukee, a milestone on an otherwise rough night for the Bucks.

The win moved Minnesota to 5-3, a strong record for a team playing without Edwards. The Timberwolves are getting their points from Ball and their defense from Gobert, and Dosunmu's all-around line shows the supporting cast is holding up while the star recovers.

Milwaukee's 1-6 start is now the story on its side. The Bucks rallied once in this game, from 11 down to within a point, and still lost by 12. A team that has to spend that much energy to get level once had nothing left when Minnesota pushed again after halftime.

Minnesota won this game in two separate stretches, the 29-18 first quarter and the push after halftime that rebuilt the lead to 80-76 by the end of the third quarter. Ball scored at every stage of both runs, and Dosunmu filled the box score behind him on a night Minnesota played without Edwards, who is out after surgery on his right knee.