By Charles F. Gardner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel –
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Eight preseason games are done and Scott Skiles still doesn’t know what his opening-night lineup should look like.
The Milwaukee Bucks did little to settle any questions with a lackluster showing in a 100-76 loss to Minnesota before 4,165 fans at the Resch Center on Friday night.
The Timberwolves were without injured stars Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour missed the game due to a family issue. But Minnesota still cruised to victory.
Chase Budinger scored 20 points and Nikola Pekovic added 19 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota (5-2) riddled the Bucks defense from inside and out.
“Before next Friday, we have to get much better if we think we’re going to go into Boston and win a game,” Skiles said of the regular-season opener.
“Our first two games we played with a lot of intensity, pretty much 40 out of the 48 minutes. Yesterday (at Charlotte) for about 15 minutes we did.
“We’ve got several days here, and obviously we’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to work on.”
Brandon Jennings led the Bucks (3-5) with 19 points and five rebounds. But Jennings and backcourt partner Monta Ellis each had five turnovers, and Ellis was 1 of 11 from the field and scored just two points.
Ellis missed two consecutive layups in the third quarter and struggled to shoot for the second consecutive game. He hit 2 of 13 shots in Charlotte.
“We’ve got to have our minds right, and we’ve got to be mentally prepared,” Ellis said. “Preseason is over with and now it’s time to get to it.
“Momma said there would be days like this.”
The Bucks trailed by 20 points in the third quarter in Charlotte on Thursday but rallied for a 100-90 victory. This time there was no comeback after Milwaukee fell behind, 48-36, at halftime and, 61-41, with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
Reserves for both teams played in the final period.
“It’s real disappointing, especially in front of our fans to lose the game like that,” Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova said. “We started poor defensively and gave up a lot of easy baskets.
“The season is coming in a couple days. No more excuses. How you start the season it’s really important; it’s going to give you a rhythm. The first couple games are important for us.”
Budinger was 4 of 5 from three-point range while Pekovic caught the ball wherever he wanted and showed a soft touch from the inside. Veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko, signed by the Timberwolves to a two-year, $20 million deal in the off-season, added eight points and 10 rebounds.
“At this point we’ve got to make a lot of improvements,” Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy said. “It’s hard to say there’s one area. We’re just struggling right now on both ends of the court.
“The good news is we’re 0-0. Everything is ahead of us. It’s on us to make the changes and get better and be ready to go on Friday night.”
Rookie guard Doron Lamb scored 12 points and Beno Udrih 11. Ilyasova added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Bucks starters scored just 37 points against the Timberwolves and Skiles said different combinations would be considered.
“We’re trying to find some cohesion in a lineup that can start a game for us,” Skiles said. “I’d like a goal to be that we could run the very first play correctly in a game.
“It would be impossible to decide (a lineup) after performances like this. We’ve got to take a good look at it and make a couple tough decisions maybe.”
