Scouting Report | Wolves at Raptors

We’ll get our second look at a Timberwolves squad that is dramatically different after the trade deadline.

The Timberwolves are probably coming off their best win of the season in front of a sold-out crowd at Target Center on Saturday night. Minnesota beat the Clippers 142-115 behind a franchise-record 26 made 3-pointers from an assembly of new faces. What made this even more impressive is that the team did this without D’Angelo Russell, who was held out of the game with a quad contusion. That injury doesn’t seem serious, and there’s a chance we’ll see Russell on Monday night against the Raptors in Toronto.

The Raptors sit at 39-14 and are coming off a 119-118 home win over the Nets on Saturday. The fact that this team is in second place after losing Kawhi Leonard in free agency this offseason is truly remarkable. 

This is the second matchup between the two teams this season. The Raptors beat the Timberwolves 122-112 back on Jan. 18 at Target Center.

Lost in the Russell trade was that the Wolves acquired another really good guard at the deadline. In his first game with the Wolves, Malik Beasley finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers on 13 attempts. He also added four assists and a steal.

Basketball-Reference graded Beasley’s game as his second-best of the entire season.

Beasley became the first player in NBA history to have 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ made 3-pointers in his first game with a team. While the criteria might be a bit cherry picked, it also doesn’t take away from how electric Beasley was. It’s safe to say after one game, he’s already a fan favorite. 

The Raptors went into the season thought of as a team that was good, but not that good. After losing Leonard, how good could they be?

It turns out, really good - especially defensively. The Raptors, who rank second in defensive rating, had a Las Vegas over/under of 46.5 wins going into the season. It looks like they will absolutely crush that mark, led by the fourth-year leap of forward Pascal Siakam, who will make his first All-Star appearance later this month.

Wolves: Jake Layman (toe) is out. D'Angelo Russell (quad) is questionable. 

Raptors: Marc Gasol (hamstring) and Kyle Lowry (neck) are questionable. Dewan Hernandez (ankle) and Norman Powell (finger) are out. 

Wolves: PG – Russell, SG – Beasley, SF – Okogie, PF – Hernangomez, C – Towns 

Raptors: PG – VanVleet, SG - Davis, SF - Anunoby, PF - Siakam, C - Ibaka