Raps too much for youthful T’Wolves
DeRozan scores game-high 27 points, passes Peterson for franchise record of games played
TORONTO — That 12-game losing streak in Toronto looked like it might be coming to an end for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
Then the Raptors, led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, dug down, found another gear and sped away from a Timberwolves team that is going to be really, really good in a year or two.
Right now they are young and have yet to learn how to close out a game. In time, and with coach Tom Thibodeau screaming himself hoarse, that will come.
They just aren’t in the Raptors’ class yet. You can see the pieces are there, but from Canada’s best current NBA export in Andrew Wiggins to the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine, not to mention an as yet unappreciated Kris Dunn, the T’Wolves have plenty to be excited about.
For the better part of 40 minutes they were right there with the Raptors, but when it came to winning time, it was boys against men as the Raptors pulled away for a 124-110 victory.
Minnesota has not won in Toronto since 2004.
The three-point shot, which has been so valuable for the Raptors these past seven games, wasn’t really there early on, particularly from the bench duo of Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross, who were a combined 3-for-12 in the game from threepoint distance.
In jeopardy was a seven-game run of at least 10 threes a game. At least it was in jeopardy until Lowry started to find the range, finishing up 5-for-7 from beyond the arc to keep that run of double-digit three-point nights alive with a team total of 11.
Lowry, who had 25 points, had plenty of support in the scoring department from DeMar DeRozan who had 27 and Jonas Valanciunas who had 20.
In vintage DeRozan fashion, he saved his most impressive dunk of the night for the final minute when he went right over the head of Ricky Rubio to grab a DeMarre Carroll miss and jam it home, leaving Rubio rubbing his noggin’ in disbelief.
Valanciunas, who has been rather quiet the past handful of games, leading to all kinds of speculation he might be playing through an injury, brought some of that speculation to a halt with a 9-for-15 evening and his largest scoring output since he had 23 in that loss in Sacramento on Nov. 20.
The Raptors seemed to make a conscious effort to get their big man the ball. His 15 attempts from the field were only four shy of the 19 DeRozan had to lead the game and two more than the 13 Lowry had. He also had 10 rebounds. For Minnesota, the leading scorer in the game was defending dunk champ LaVine, who is showing anyone watching that he is much more than just a freakishly good dunker.
LaVine finished with 29 points and six assists in the same venue where he won his dunk title — although the court looked different as it was Huskies night in Toronto again.
Wiggins came out like he was going to win the game by himself. He had 11 through the first quarter on five of seven makes, many of them the nothing-butnet variety.
There was little question he was locked in from the get-go in his only visit to his home city. He finished with 25 points.
The Raptors, meanwhile looked tentative at the outset. Airballs from DeRozan. Lowry and Valanciunas missing bunnies at the basket. Everyone looked just a little bit off.
It wasn’t until both Valanciunas and Carroll got into some early foul trouble and Casey went to his bench that the Raptors seemed to wake up.
Even then the energy was short-lived, as they got back on even terms only to see the Timberwolves pull away again. It wasn’t until Carroll got back in the game late in the second quarter and hit three quick three-pointers that the Raptors took their first lead with just over two minutes to go in the half. They got to the locker-room tied despite a lacklustre first 24 minutes.
With the win the Raptors complete the six-game home stand with a 5-1 record, the lone loss coming to Cleveland on Monday.
The game marked the 543rd game of DeRozan’s career, breaking the franchise record previously held by Morris Peterson.
DeRozan and Lowry were honoured before the game for their contributions to the USA’s gold medal win this summer in Rio. Both received a ring commemorating the Olympic title.