Julius Randle recorded 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Anthony Edwards also scored 24 to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 112-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
Rudy Gobert delivered a strong all-around performance with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, helping Minnesota secure the win in their home opener.
Toronto’s Gradey Dick led all scorers with 25 points, while Scottie Barnes contributed 20 and Ochai Agbaji added 19 in the loss.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto once again played without RJ Barrett, their leading returning scorer, who remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury. The absence of Barrett contributed to a slow offensive start, as the Raptors missed eight of their first nine shots and quickly fell behind 16-3.
Timberwolves: Fresh off their run to the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves generated excitement by selling 11,000 season tickets for the first time since their inaugural season at Target Center in 1990. The home crowd got its first glimpse of newcomers Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, acquired in a trade with the Knicks. Randle stuffed the stat sheet, while DiVincenzo added 16 points, knocking down four three-pointers.
Key Moment
Toronto trailed by 12 at halftime but came out strong in the third quarter, cutting Minnesota’s lead to single digits for the first time since early in the game. However, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Randle took control, combining 13 straight points to extend the lead to 78-56. From there, the Timberwolves kept the Raptors at a comfortable distance.
Key Stat
After attempting 46 free throws in their victory over Milwaukee on Friday, the Raptors saw a drastic drop at the foul line, getting just 13 attempts and converting nine.
Up Next
Minnesota will host Dallas on Tuesday in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, while Toronto returns home to take on the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
