The eighth game on Sunday for NBA Week 9 is between Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. The opening tip-off is set to commence at 12:40pm with the game to be played at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The favourite for the match is home team Minnesota Timberwolves. View our preview and teams for the game between Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks.

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When: 12:40 | Sunday 29/12/2013

Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

Minnesota Timberwolves $1.32 vs Milwaukee Bucks $3.55 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Minnesota Timberwolves $1.30 vs Milwaukee Bucks $3.60 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Minnesota Timberwolves	1.32	1.29	1.30	1.29	1.32	1.30
Milwaukee Bucks	3.55	3.75	3.60	3.75	3.55	3.55

Teams:

Minnesota Timberwolves:

Milwaukee Bucks:

Preview:

The Minnesota Timberwolves can’t ask for much more offensively from their starting lineup. But more bench production will likely be crucial if the franchise is to end its league-worst nine-season playoff drought.

Minnesota will try to build on a strong performance from its reserves when it visits the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

The Timberwolves got their usual solid numbers from their starting five in Friday’s 120-98 home win over Washington. Kevin Love tallied his league-leading 26th double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Nikola Pekovic chipped in 18 points and Ricky Rubio finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in just 27 minutes.

However, Minnesota’s starters have rarely been an issue all season, ranking second in the league at 82.7 points per game. It’s been the bench that has held the Timberwolves (14-15) back, ranking 28th with 23.3 points.

Friday’s 44 points from the reserves were one shy of a season high for Minnesota. J.J. Barea – the team’s leading reserve scorer with 8.3 points per game – scored 17 on 8-of-10 shooting, while Alexey Shved chipped in 13.

“It’s not secret we need more production from our bench,” Love said. “That really helps out some of the starters, especially when every night isn’t going to be great for all our guys, one through five.”

The Timberwolves are just 5-11 on the road and have lost three straight away from home, but playing against the woeful Bucks – who have lost seven of eight overall – might not prove to be much of a challenge.

Milwaukee (6-23) trailed by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 104-93 loss at Brooklyn despite getting back both Larry Sanders and Ersan Ilyasova from injury. Sanders had 10 points in 22 minutes in his first game since Nov. 2 after being sidelined by a torn ligament in his thumb. Ilyasova had six points and five rebounds after missing three contests with a sore right ankle.

Neither interior player was the solution for the Bucks’ horrid 3-point defense, which allowed the Nets to go 12 of 26 from 3-point range and has let its last six opponents shoot 44.0 percent from beyond the arc.

“We had a couple of breakdowns defensively. We went under the screens on the 3-point shooters and that was not the game plan,” coach Larry Drew said. “Seemed like every time we tried to make a run or get some stops, we would have a breakdown defensively and Brooklyn would get up a 3.”

Brandon Knight struggled offensively, scoring 11 on 4-of-13 shooting after averaging 25.0 points and shooting 45.7 percent over his previous four games.

The Bucks had won seven of eight at home in the series prior to a 107-98 loss on April 3. The Timberwolves were 8 of 13 from 3-point range with Rubio hitting a career-best five 3-pointers on six attempts.

Since 2009-10, Kevin Martin is averaging 26.3 points in four meetings with Milwaukee – his best average against any team.

Source: www.nba.com