The Timberwolves strolled into Target Center Monday evening, losers in three of their previous four games. The Bucks, owners of a 1-5 record, awaited them, and Minnesota needed to handle its business.

That’s what the Wolves did, beating Milwaukee 112-100. The Bucks kept pace for most of the night. They played well, but Minnesota stuck together and picked up a win without Anthony Edwards (right knee surgery) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (left hip contusion). LaMelo Ball was also compromised. He entered the game questionable with a right wrist contusion, which had been bothering him for multiple games.

But that didn’t look like the case Monday. Ball quarterbacked Minnesota’s offense all night. Here are the three biggest storylines from the Wolves’ 12-point win Monday night.

1. LaMelo Ball dazzles for the first time

Ball revealed he had a pregame nap and enjoyed some time before tip-off with his kid, LaOne. He came into Monday’s game feeling good, and certainly played like it. 

Ball scored a 35 points in 33 minutes, both of which are season highs. He shot 12 of 21 from the floor (57%) and 6 of 13 from deep (46%). 

The majority of Ball’s damage came in the first half, when the Wolves needed him most. At halftime, Ball had already laced in 24 points on 9 of 15 from the floor. His teammates had a combined 24 points at that point on 9 of 34 from the floor.

“He was kind of the only guy connecting for us on offense in the first half,” Finch told reporters postgame. “That was much needed, not just for him, but for us overall.”

11 PTS in five minutes for Melo. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7CRuCOBJRq

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 3, 2026

Ball needed a performance like the one he had Monday. He needed to find a rhythm, which had eluded him so far this season. Perhaps his ailing right wrist is partly to blame. But Ball looked 100% healthy against the Bucks. His shot was dialed in, and he connected with great efficiency.

Finch liked how Ball produced his shots. Minnesota’s head coach felt Ball did a good job finding his offense in the flow and through actions. 

Ball finished with three assists, his fewest in a game this season. Finch has stated that he still wants Ball to balance his scoring with his passing without Edwards in the lineup. Typically, Ball can do that well. When he does, he quarterbacks his team’s offense and leads on that end of the floor. And that is what this Wolves team needs most from Ball moving forward: be the leader of their pack. 

Monday against Milwaukee—where the Wolves’ offense didn’t come naturally—called for Ball to settle into a rhythm and score in bunches.

a solid 34-piece for Melo tonight. 🕺 pic.twitter.com/MoVw03j303

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 3, 2026

So far this season, foul trouble has played a role in Ball struggling to find that rhythm. He has been defending aggressively, but that has resulted in him sitting on the bench with multiple fouls attached to his name in the box score.

Against Milwaukee, Ball committed four fouls, but three of them came in the second half. They didn’t prevent Ball from finding a rhythm that ended with him scoring a season high and leading his team’s offense for the first time this year.

2. Jonathan Kuminga was a quiet hero

Kuminga scored eight points in 33 minutes against Milwaukee. He committed four turnovers and shot 3 of 8 from the floor. Still, he was a winner in the same way he has been all season.

“He’s just kind of doing everything we need him to do, and a lot of it in a timely manner,” Finch told reporters postgame. “We’d be lost without him right now, for sure.”

Digging deeper into the box score, you will find Kuminga’s biggest impact on the game, a common theme this season. Against the Bucks, Kuminga corralled 10 rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots (one of which was a goaltend that the officials missed).

Monday night was the second time in Kuminga’s career he played at least 33 minutes in a game while scoring 10 or fewer points. The other time was last week in Cleveland, when Kuminga scored 10 points in 36 minutes.

Both against the Bucks and the Cavs, Kuminga drove winning despite not being a featured part of the offense. We have quickly seen Kuminga settle in as a role player in Minnesota, fully embracing the role that he must fill. From the get-go, the Wolves didn’t need Kuminga for his scoring. They needed him for his defense and rebounding, both of which have been showing up frequently this season.

3. Minnesota locked in after halftime

Monday’s game seemed to be barreling down a path Wolves fans have seen their team take many times before. The Wolves were lacking energy and execution against a poor team on their home floor. Over the last two years, when games like that happened, the Wolves tended to self-implode. Players would get moody and self-centered. And the Wolves were on track for a gut-punch of a loss.

The Bucks trailed by one point at halftime. They outscored the Wolves 29-19 in the second quarter. Milwaukee—the second fastest-paced team in the league—was getting downhill and past the Wolves’ first line of defense far too easily. And around the rim, Minnesota struggled to keep the Bucks off the glass. Milwaukee snatched 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, which it converted into 16 second-chance points.

“We were running in, and the ball would go over our head,” Finch said postgame. “I was pretty disappointed with that at halftime.”

The Wolves of the past would have been liable to collapse out of halftime. But this year’s game, which has shown much better maturity, found ways to keep their energy up throughout the second half. 

While the Bucks played well and kept pace throughout, Minnesota scored 64 points in the second half on 48.9% shooting.

Minnesota’s energy-driving plays in the second half ranged from small to big. From Bones Hyland clapping on defense to Ayo Dosunmu racing down the court for a quick layup and Joan Beringer working tirelessly on the glass.

The Wolves found ways not to let injuries and a crumby start against a bad team spiral into an even worse loss. Instead, they stayed together and produced their own energy—something last year’s team repeatedly struggled to do.