Toronto a perfect 5-0 to start the season
These are verging on historymaking times for the Toronto Raptors.
A group put together with a handful of new starters and unfamiliar bits is off to one of the best starts in franchise history, after pulling away to dump the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-105 at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.
It was Toronto’s fifth straight win to open the NBA season, equalling the franchise record established in 2015-16. It was also their fourth win at home to start a season; the team record in that category is five and can be matched on Friday night.
Toronto had a shaky offensive evening at times against the Timberwolves but some exceptional defence and a burst to bridge the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth was all they needed.
Toronto stretched a four-point lead late in the third to a 16point bulge early in the fourth to put the game away.
Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 35 points while Kyle Lowry had 13 points and 10 assists. The Raptors two centres, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas, combined for 31 points and 16 rebounds. á Rising to the occasion: There’s no question Leonard provides the Raptors defence with a presence it has perhaps never had, at least not since the underrated Doug Christie was playing on a going-nowhere team in the late 1990s.
And Wednesday night was a prime example, as Leonard basically ate up Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler, who had come into the game averaging nearly 24 points a game. Butler had only 13 shots — six in the first half — as Leonard did what he does.
“That’s why we got that guy, to put him on that guy,” coach Nick Nurse said of Leonard.
á Bit of a struggle: Toronto’s offence was hardly crisp, despite the points total. Lots of baskets in transition and with only a so-so night in any halfcourt set.
The bench group was also suspect, with only Valanciunas having any real impact. The backups squandered a solid first-quarter lead — giving up a 13-0 run — and got nothing going offensively.
á No Wiggins: Andrew Wiggins sat out the game with a quad injury and, yes, it was newsworthy quite aside from it being
his only visit this season to Toronto. It was just the second game he’d missed in his career; he’d played in 331 of 332 before Wednesday night.
á The ins and outs: The Raptors are still looking for their first game with a full roster for coach Nick Nurse to play around with. It was nice that they got Delon Wright back on Wednesday after he missed four games with an adductor muscle strain, but Fred VanVleet had Wednesday off due to a sprained big left toe.
Wright played only five minutes in the first half with no points, assists or rebounds.
Up next: It’s a shame Toronto fans won’t get to say a proper goodbye to retirement-bound Dallas icon Dirk Nowitzki when the Mavericks are in town on Friday. He’s hurt and won’t play. But prized rookie Luca Doncic will. It’s the usual 7:30 p.m. start at Scotiabank Arena.