6:00 p.m., Air Canada Centre
Where to Watch: TNT
Where to Listen: 830 WCCO
After going up against the second-best team in the West on Tuesday, the Wolves will have the second-best team in the East on Thursday in Toronto.
The Raptors come into the game with a 14-7 record, behind the Cavaliers for second in the East. The Wolves are 6-15, 13th in the West.
A few tidbits going into Thursday night’s game:
- Rookie point guard Kris Dunn is coming off three fantastic games, averaging 9.3 points and four assists per game.
- The Raptors have won six of their last seven games.
- This is the first game of a back-to-back for the Wolves. Minnesota hosts Detroit on Friday night.
Coming Off Of…
The Wolves are coming off of a 105-91 home loss to the Spurs. Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 25 points. Gorgui Dieng added 16 points and nine rebounds. Dunn scored a career-high 15 points off the bench. Karl-Antony Towns and Andrew Wiggins both scored 11 points. Towns also hauled in game-high 14 rebounds.
The Raptors are coming off of a 116-112 home loss to the Cavaliers on Monday. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 31 points while Kyle Lowry added 24. Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson finished with 14 and 12 points off the bench, respectively.
Last Matchup:
The Wolves split the season series against the Raptors last season. The last game came on Feb. 24 in Toronto and the Raptors won 114-105 behind 31 points from DeRozan. Lowry added 21, while Cory Joseph scored 18 off the bench. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 18 points.
Wiggins led the Wolves with 26 points. Dieng added 21, while Towns scored 16. Ricky Rubio had a 12-point, 13-assist double-double. Shabazz Muhammad led the bench with 1o points.
Key Matchup: Zach LaVine vs. DeMar DeRozan
LaVine will have the tough task of slowing down one of the NBA’s best scorers. DeRozan is averaging a career-high 28 points while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. In 13 career games against the Wolves, DeRozan is averaging 19.3 points per game.
The third-year wing out of UCLA is no slouch when it comes to scoring the ball. LaVine is averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 46.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line. In four career games against the Raptors, LaVine is averaging 11.8 points per game.
Injuries:
Toronto: Delon Wright (shoulder) and Jared Sullinger (foot) are out.
Minnesota: Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out.
Projected Starters:
Toronto: PG – Lowry, SG – DeRozan, SF – Carroll, PF – Siakam, C - Valanciunas
Minnesota: PG – Rubio, SG – LaVine, SF – Wiggins, PF – Dieng, C – Towns