Timberwolves-Bucks preview: Can Minnesota slow down red-hot Giannis?

Antetokounmpo is coming off of consecutive absurd performances for the Bucks, who have been without Damian Lillard for a few weeks.

Feb 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) works around Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) during the first half at Target Center. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Last week, the Timberwolves went to battle against an unstoppable basketball wizard and managed to emerge victorious despite one of the greatest individual performances of all time. They were somehow able to overcome Nikola Jokic's 61-point triple double and beat the Nuggets by a single point in double overtime.

A week later, they're set to go up against a different kind of superhuman basketball force. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in his seventh consecutive season as one of the two or three most dominant basketball players on the planet. He's coming off of ridiculous performances in his last two outings, even by his standards — 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in an OT win over the Heat, preceded by a 35-17-20 masterclass against the 76ers.

Like Jokic nearly did last week, Antetokounmpo may need to single-handedly will his team to victory if the Bucks (44-34) are going to get it done in Tuesday night's game against the Wolves (46-32) in Milwaukee. He's listed as probable to play through left shoulder tendinopathy. It's a huge one for Minnesota, given how tightly-packed the West standings are right now.

Video game numbers.

Giannis had himself a week. pic.twitter.com/9sWOKO35dQ

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 7, 2025

With all due respect to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and others, Jokic and Giannis — who have won five of the last six MVP awards — are in a tier of their own as the two best basketball players in the world. When you go into a matchup against either one, they are the entire focus of the game plan. And the brilliance of both superstars is that you generally know what they want to do but are still largely helpless to stop them from doing it.

Damian Lillard has been out for a few weeks now for Milwaukee. The pieces surrounding Giannis currently include Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr., and AJ Green. And yet, he's so remarkably good that the Bucks have a chance to win every single game when he suits up.

Antetokounmpo is averaging his usual 31 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 stocks (steals and blocks) this season. He's a lock to earn his seventh consecutive first team All-NBA selection. And although he isn't a factor in the MVP race between Jokic and SGA, his numbers would be good enough for real consideration in a lot of seasons. Missing 14 games due to injury this year has hurt his case.

The Wolves see Jokic all the time. But because Antetokounmpo plays in the East, they don't face him nearly as often. In the one previous meeting between Minnesota and Milwaukee this season, Giannis was out with a calf injury (the Bucks won that mid-February game in Minneapolis by two points, though the Wolves were without Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo). Between the regular season and playoffs, the Wolves have faced Jokic 14 times since they last played against Antetokounmpo in February 2024.

Giannis had a ho-hum 33 and 13 in that game, and he was extremely quiet in a loss earlier that month. But the Wolves have seen his dominance in full effect before. He went for 43-20-5 against them in Dec. 2022 and 40-16-7 in Oct. 2021, after which a 20-year-old Anthony Edwards was in awe:

"With a guy like that, you can't stress about him scoring, that's what he's gonna do," Edwards said. "(He's) 7'2", 280 pounds, like, ain't nothing you can do about it. Like s***, we put four people on him, (he) still score the ball. ... He's amazing."

Technically, Giannis is listed at 6'11", 242 pounds. But he does seem even bigger than that sometimes.

The Wolves will have their hands full on Tuesday night. Rudy Gobert is one of the few players who can match Antetokounmpo from a size and physicality standpoint, but he can struggle with the quickness and skill that Giannis possesses. Keeping Gobert and Jaden McDaniels out of foul trouble will be important, since Randle and Naz Reid aren't nearly the same caliber of defender.

Minnesota's game plan will be to not let Giannis beat them. But that's easier said than done. Like with Jokic, it might come down to whether or not the Wolves can keep pace on the offensive end of the floor and use their superior depth to come out on top against one of the all-time greats.