Minnesota @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 4, 2019 ) Milwaukee 134, Minnesota 106

The Milwaukee Bucks have big things planned for 2020 and will start the New Year by hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Bucks own the best record in the NBA but have their eyes set on the biggest prize: an NBA title in June.

Milwaukee's latest winning streak reached three straight with a 123-102 victory at Chicago on Monday as it became the first team to reach 30 wins before the end of December since 1980. "It's definitely surprising, like, we won 30 games before January," Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters. "It's cool, but we always can be better, we can always do better and we've got to keep improving because the goal is to play late in the season." The Timberwolves are just beginning to pull out of a funk with wins in two of the last three contests following an 11-game slide. Minnesota pulled out a 122-115 overtime win over Brooklyn on Monday despite being without its two leading scorers in center Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and swingman Andrew Wiggins (illness).

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: FS North, FS Wisconsin, NBA TV Canada

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (12-20): Towns (26.5 points, 11.7 rebounds) sat out the last seven games and remains day-to-day while Wiggins (24.8 points) missed the last two contests, opening up opportunities for players like Shabazz Napier, Gorgui Dieng and Jarrett Culver. Napier led the way with a season-best 24 points in Monday's win while Dieng collected 11 points and 20 rebounds and Culver scored a season-high 21. "I thought that was a heart game," Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders told reporters. "Our guys knew there were going to be opportunities tonight, and guys took advantage of them. There were a number of things that you could point to that have to make you feel good within our organization."

ABOUT THE BUCKS (30-5): Antetokounmpo (back) returned from a two-game absence on Monday and collected 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes while point guard Eric Bledsoe (leg) returned after sitting out the previous eight contests and contributed 15 points in 16 minutes. "He was great tonight," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters of Bledsoe. "You just saw the speed, the athleticism, him in passing lanes, him getting to the paint, him cutting and slashing off the ball, making a three in transition - he did a little bit of everything tonight. We all appreciate and respect him and we're all happy to have him back." The Bucks are winners of 24 of their last 26 games and begin 2020 with seven straight games against sub-.500 opponents.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Timberwolves SF Robert Covington (hand), PG Jeff Teague (knee), SG Treveon Graham (illness) and PF Noah Vonleh (glute) are all questionable.

2. Bucks SG Wesley Matthews (thigh) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.

3. Milwaukee owns a three-game winning streak in the series and breezed to a 134-106 victory at Minnesota on Nov. 4.

PREDICTION: Bucks 126, Timberwolves 111