The rising Raptors beat the Timberwolves 122-107
TORONTO — Fred VanVleet scored 28 points to help the Raptors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-107 on Saturday for Toronto’s third straight win.
Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poelt each had a double-double for the Raptors (35–36), who wore their black and gold OVO jerseys to match the Scotiabank Arena court.
Siakam scored 27, pulled down 10 rebounds and added six assists. Poelt had 14 points, 12 and 11 boards in the first quarter alone.
Naz Reed scored 22 off the bench for Minnesota (35-37), which lost its third game in a row. Jaden McDaniels added 18.
Timberwolves guard Nikil Alexander-Walker, who lives in Toronto, scored four.
VanVleet got off to a hot start, scoring 15 in the first quarter, including drilling a three-pointer with 4:58 left in the frame to put Toronto up by four. He and Poelt were a potent perimeter-paint threat, combining for 27 points to help the Raptors take a 32–26 lead in the first frame.
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Poetl scored a season-high 12 points in the quarter. His previous high for a quarter was 10 on March 2 against the Washington Wizards.
OG Anunoby hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to get the sold-out crowd of 19,800 on its feet and give the Raptors a 66–58 lead at halftime.
Kyle Anderson’s jumper early in the third quarter pulled Minnesota to within two. After exchanging several field goals, McDaniels drilled a three-pointer to bring the visitors within one.
A driving Reed layup with 4:16 left in the third gave the Timberwolves the lead – though only by a point – for the first time after 6:13 in the game.
The lead went back and forth between Toronto and Minnesota for the rest of the third quarter.
Montreal’s Chris Boucher blocked Reid’s shot with 36 seconds left in the quarter, then at the other end of the court, he converted a pass from Siakam into a three-pointer. On the ensuing Timberwolves possession, Gary Trent Jr. stole the ball from Jordan McLaughlin and broke on his own for an uncontested layup and a 94–85 Raptors lead going into the fourth.
Scottie Barnes made a layup two minutes into the fourth, forcing Minnesota to take a timeout with the Raptors leading by 13 points.
Toronto didn’t look back after that, continuing to press Minnesota’s score every time. A two-handed Poelt jam, his first points since the opening quarter, followed by a Trent three-pointer gave the Raptors a 19-point lead and sent dozens of fans running out.
This prompted Toronto head coach Nick Nurse to release some of his depth players, including Joe Wieskamp, ​​who had played for Toronto’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, the day before.
The Masked Man — Raptors rookie center Christian Koloko fractured his nose in Thursday’s 128-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Koloko was listed as questionable before Saturday’s game, but played nine minutes with a protective mask on.
Before the game Nurse said, “We’ve got all those suspicious guys completely ‘in’.”
ANSWER NEXT – The Raptors travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Sunday night.
Minnesota continues its road trip on Monday with a game against the Knicks in New York.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 18, 2023.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
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