LaMelo Ball made his Minnesota Timberwolves debut on Monday as Minnesota defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 116-97 in their preseason opener at Fiserv Forum.
Ball started alongside Anthony Edwards, Jonathan Kuminga, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels and played 17 minutes in his first game with the Timberwolves.
The 25-year-old guard finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 3-of-6 from the field. He made 2-of-5 attempts from three-point range and went 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Ball made an immediate impact, assisting on Jonathan Kuminga’s opening basket before knocking down his first three-pointer of the game later in the opening quarter. He also hit a 17-foot step-back jumper and added another three-pointer in the second quarter.
His second three came with 4:06 remaining in the second period, extending Minnesota’s lead to 54-35. Ball then assisted Anthony Edwards on a fadeaway jumper later in the quarter before making two free throws with just over a minute remaining.
Minnesota jumped out to a 31-20 lead after the opening quarter and extended the advantage to 60-48 at halftime. The Bucks rallied during the third quarter, eventually taking a 76-75 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
The Timberwolves responded immediately, scoring the final points of the third quarter to take an 80-77 lead into the fourth.
Minnesota then dominated the final period, outscoring Milwaukee 36-20 to pull away.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 14 points in 18 minutes, while Jaden McDaniels added 9 points and also shot 4-of-5 from the field. Kuminga finished with eight points in 14 minutes, including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the free-throw line.
Rudy Gobert contributed six points and seven rebounds, while Joan Beringer had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Ayo Dosunmu also scored 12 points.
The Timberwolves shot 46% from the field but struggled from long range, making 9-of-35 three-point attempts. They compensated by making 27 of 34 free throws and holding a 51-47 rebounding advantage.
Milwaukee was led by Ryan Rollins, who scored 15 points in 14 minutes. Kel’el Ware added 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyler Herro finished with 11 points and three assists.
The Bucks shot just 33% from the field despite making 16 of 47 three-point attempts.
