LaMelo Ball scored a season-high 34 and the Timberwolves beat Milwaukee 112-100

LaMelo Ball scored a season-high 34 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 on Monday night at Target Center.

Six Minnesota players finished in double figures, which is how the Timberwolves won on a night their shooting percentage was a season low.

The Timberwolves pulled away early in the fourth quarter and improved to 5-3, while Milwaukee dropped to 1-6 and 0-3 on the road.

The quarter scores were 29-18, 19-29, 32-29 and 32-24, a game that was close for two quarters and then separated.

Minnesota has now won five of six games after losing its opener.

Minnesota's defense set the tone early, holding Milwaukee to 18 points in the first quarter.

The Bucks answered with 29 in the second, which is why the game was close at halftime.

The fourth quarter was the difference: Minnesota outscored Milwaukee 32-24 and never let the lead drop below eight.

Ball's 34 points came inside a Minnesota offense that has been rebuilt around him since he arrived, and the Bucks never found a way to keep him out of the paint.

He scored on drives, pull-ups and two late 3-pointers that pushed the lead past 10 in the fourth quarter.

Ayo Dosunmu added 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels had 13 for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves shot 42.7% from the field, a season low, and still won because they took 12 more shots than Milwaukee.

That shot advantage came from extra possessions on the offensive glass and Milwaukee's turnovers.

Milwaukee's season is slipping. The Bucks shot a season-worst 38.4% and lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 21 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19, and AJ Green and Myles Turner each had 13.

Brayden Burries, the 10th overall pick, made his first start and finished with nine points on 4-for-15 shooting.

This was the first Milwaukee defeat in which it did not allow at least a hundred and twenty-seven points, which says more about the offense than the defense.

The Bucks have now been held under a hundred and five in four of their six losses.

Minnesota's four previous wins had all come by more than 20 points, which is why this one looks different on the schedule.

The Timberwolves' identity is becoming clear: a big, physical team that wins the possession battle even when it does not shoot well.

Milwaukee's problem is not one night. The roster was rebuilt in the offseason and the defensive communication is still catching up.

Both teams are in the middle of a stretch against Western Conference opponents, which makes this result more than a one-off.

Minnesota's defense has held opponents under a hundred and five in five of its eight games.

The win matters because it is the first time Minnesota has won without a good shooting night, the mark of a team that can survive a playoff series.

Ball's 34 points are the most he has scored in a Timberwolves uniform, and his partnership with Dosunmu is becoming the offensive base.

Milwaukee's next game is at home, where the Bucks have been marginally better.

Minnesota's next game is on the road against a team with a winning record.

Both teams play again this week, and both will be measured by whether this game repeats.

The Bucks' next four games are against teams with winning records, which makes the slide more dangerous.

Minnesota has a chance to reach six games above five hundred this week.

The Bucks' next game is against a team with a losing record, which is the best chance to stop the slide.

The Timberwolves play four of their next six at home, which is the best chance to build on the 5-3 start.

The Bucks play five of their next seven at home, and the schedule is the only reason to expect a turnaround.

Minnesota's next three opponents all have winning records, which will test the possession advantage.

Milwaukee's next three opponents have a combined record below five hundred, which is a chance to stop the slide.

Neither team is at full strength, and neither has played a complete game yet this season.

The rebounding margin was the quiet story. Minnesota won the boards by eight and turned that into second-chance points.

Ball's usage has climbed in each of the last three games, and the Timberwolves' offense has improved with it.

The Bucks' turnover rate was above their season average, which is the other half of the possession gap.

Minnesota's bench was outscored, which is unusual for a team that has relied on its second unit this season.

The final margin was 12, but the game was decided in a four-minute stretch at the start of the fourth quarter.

Ball's fourth-quarter scoring was the largest single factor in the margin.

The Timberwolves' starting lineup was plus-18 in its minutes, which is the best mark of the season.

Minnesota has now won five of six and sits in the top half of the Western Conference.