Chris Finch Praises Bones Hyland After Timberwolves Blow Out Bucks

The Minnesota Timberwolves (27-14) put together one of their best performances of the season on Tuesday night, rolling to a dominant 139-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (17-23) at Fiserv Forum.

Despite missing star Anthony Edwards and center Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves never trailed and built a 76-45 halftime lead, which marked the largest halftime advantage in a road game in franchise history.

Head coach Chris Finch, who returned after missing the previous game due to illness, had plenty to say about his team's effort afterward and praised the play of reserve guard Bones Hyland.

Hyland delivered a season-high 23 points while adding five assists with no turnovers, and Finch explained how the coaching staff pushed him to be more aggressive before the game.

"He's been a shot in the arm," Finch said. "But we needed another level, and he really responded."

Finch said he felt Hyland had been "caught in this middle ground" of trying to run the offense for others while giving up too much of his own usage, which led to the coaching staff getting on him during the morning shootaround to demand more.

Hyland answered the call against Milwaukee, scoring 10 first-half points and continuing to solidify his spot in the rotation at backup point guard.

Julius Randle was spectacular in leading the Timberwolves with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, and Finch had high praise for his performance as well.

"Julius was spectacular," Finch told reporters in Milwaukee. "His decisionmaking was high-level. Thought he played a simple, clean game too. Took on the physicality, but didn't overcommit. Didn't get himself in trouble."

The Timberwolves made a season-high 22 three-pointers on 43 attempts while shooting a season-best 59.8 percent from the field, which was also the most points the Bucks have allowed all season.

Naz Reid added 19 points, and Jaden McDaniels contributed 17 points with six rebounds and five assists, starting the game 6-for-6 from the field including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

With Gobert serving a one-game suspension due to flagrant foul accumulation, rookie Joan Beringer stepped into an expanded role and delivered career highs in minutes (30), points (13), and rebounds (five).

The 6-foot-11 rookie showed he could be a reliable option when the team needs him.

"Quickness of decisionmaking was super sharp all over the place," Finch said about his team's overall performance. "Game plan was executed at a high level. Julius was awesome setting the tone on Giannis. Found an early groove on offense and never really let up."

The Timberwolves have now won six of their last seven games while continuing their impressive run in 2026 with a 6-1 record since the calendar turned.

They have also shown they can win without Edwards, improving to 5-3 when he sits this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but the Bucks struggled to contain Minnesota's balanced attack throughout the night.

The victory comes at a good time for Minnesota as they continue to climb in the Western Conference standings and look to build on their recent momentum.

Minnesota will visit the Houston Rockets on Friday.