It was an overly familiar start for Minnesota Timberwolves who played at home against a short -handed opponent.

The wolves started completely flat and the energy at the Target Center in Minneapolis was mutual. They fell into an early 16-point hole against Milwauke Bucks, one that they finally could not overcome in a defeat of 103-101 Wednesday evening.

Despite the ugly start, the game came down to the last possession. After Brook Lopez made a couple of free throw to give Bucks (29-24) a lead of 103-101 with 10.9 seconds left, shot the wolves back up the track, and Anthony Edwards got a good look at a potential game-winning 3- pointer when the time went out. It just didn’t fall, a theme on Wednesday.

Edwards got a gaming high 28 points but on a rough 10-for-33 shooting night. Although nothing fell, he continued to set up 3 and shot only 4 for 17 from 3. Edwards said he was not trying to adapt his game even though he was cold.

“I haven’t worked for no reason,” Edwards said. “… it will go in, it just didn’t go in (Wednesday). It will be okay.”

It was a cold -shooting night all around. Naz Reid was icy for most of the night before he finally got started in the last three minutes when he got to the edge for a couple of buckets before hit the night’s biggest shot, a progress 3 with under a minute left. But Bucks band tied the next possession and took the lead on Lopez’s free throw.

Reid finished with 22 points, 13 returns and two assists.

The wolves shot only 38% from the field and only 23% from 3-point intervals.

Bucks was without their two best players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who both missed the game due to injury. The wolves remain the short hands without Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo.

Gary Trent Jr. led Bucks with 21 points from the bench.

It was a disastrous first quarter for the wolves. They had more turnover (six) than assists (five) and shot only 9 for 27 from the field. They dragged 36-24 after the opening frame, and they just the reason they were not down anymore was because of a hot start from Edwards, which published 13 points in the first quarter. Edwards later cooled sharply, but the wolves still returned in it.

“Some guys seemed to be a little tired out there, but some of them found it,” said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. “Some of them never found it. Turnments I thought were more of an indicator of sloppy play than low energy.”

Joe Ingles provided a much needed spark during the second quarter. While he did not score, the ball movement was noticeably better when he took the court, and Ingles had four assists and four returns in an extended stint in the frame. Ingles was a driver of a second quarterly push that helped the wolves (30-25) reduce the 12-point deficit to one in half.

“We got the ball in (Ingles’) happen, calmed things a bit. We need more from, we really need more from Rob (Dillingham) in that situation,” said Finch. “Be more a point guard, and now I think he is trying to search for his crime too much, and he has to search for pace, search for the color and search for the pass.”

Terrence Shannon Jr. Was also a spark plug, which gave a certain crime during the second quarter and did some of everything during the third quarter. Shannon finished with 11 points, six assists and five returns in their best game of the year.

Rudy Gobert had a fantastic all -inclusive game with 20 points, 14 returns and four assists.

It is a quick turn for the wolves, which hosts Oklahoma City Thunder at. 19.00 Thursday evening.