Milwaukee Bucks rode the struggle bus on Wednesday night. Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves had most of their key players out with injury, they kept it close throughout the game. Milwaukee survived the depleted Timberwolves, 106-104 to win their fourth straight game. Bucks continue to win games against teams with sub .500 records. This was the first time in almost seven weeks that the Bucks played a game that finished with a final score being within one possession.

Player of the Game: Giannis Antetokounmpo – This is one of those games where you’re very thankful that Giannis is on your team. Because if Giannis is not on the team, Bucks have an embarrassing loss to start the new year. Giannis finished the game with 32 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists. It is good to see Antetokounmpo find his three-point shot again. He went 3-for-7 from deep, and the back issue seemed to complicate that in the other recent games.

Honorable Mention: George Hill – He did not have a great game. Hill only had five points. But he prevented Shabazz Napier get the ball on what would have been a final shot. Napier was awesome in this game with 22 points with four 3-pointers. Hill prevented Napier from getting the ball. Outside the Bucks’ world, people get uncomfortable about Hill being in the clutch time lineup yet this is exactly why he’s in there.

One Thing to Watch: Khris Middleton is shooting his shot – Middleton did not have a good night. But for the second straight game, Middleton had 15 or more shooting attempts. This is a good thing. Even if the shot is not falling, Middleton shooting more helps the Bucks overall. If he becomes more a scorer and finds his spots to be more aggressive, that’s fantastic.

Next up: Milwaukee stays at home and gets two days off before they take on San Antonio on Saturday night. The Spurs are struggling this season. They had to survive an overtime game against the Golden State Warriors on New Year’s Eve. Bucks had good success against the Spurs last season. We’ll see if Eric Bledsoe will be back to full strength on Saturday.

Charlie.