Minnesota Timberwolves 117, Toronto Raptors 94: a 35-point third quarter pulls it away

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Toronto Raptors 117-94 on Sunday at Target Center. The third quarter decided it. Minnesota came out of halftime up eight and outscored Toronto 35-15 to lead by 28 going into the fourth.

The Raptors led by one point at their best all night. Minnesota's lead peaked at 32, and the 3-0 start held for another game.

How it was won

The Wolves set the tone early with a 32-21 first quarter. Toronto pushed back in the second, winning it 26-23 to trail 55-47 at the break.

Then came the third. Minnesota scored 35 while holding Toronto to 15, turning an eight-point game into 90-62. The Raptors won the fourth 32-27, but by then the reserves were deciding nothing.

The box score explains the gap. Minnesota shot 43 of 77 from the floor, 56 percent, against Toronto's 35 of 91, 38 percent. From three, the Wolves went 15 of 31 and the Raptors 10 of 38. Minnesota also controlled the boards 49-34 and had 26 assists to Toronto's 20.

The one blemish was ball security. Minnesota turned it over 24 times to Toronto's 17. Shooting that efficient and rebounding that dominant covered for it. The paint was closer than the final score suggests, 56-50 in Minnesota's favor.

Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 26 points, going 2 of 4 from three, with three assists. LaMelo Ball added 15 points and a team-high eight assists, hitting 4 of 5 from deep. Terrence Shannon Jr. matched him with 15 points, a perfect 3 of 3 from three, plus four rebounds and three assists.

For Toronto, Ja'Kobe Walter scored 22 and made 5 of 8 threes. RJ Barrett had 20 and Immanuel Quickley 19, with Quickley 3 of 8 from deep. Outside of Walter and Quickley, the Raptors went 2 of 22 from three.

Against the number

Minnesota closed as a 3.5-point favorite and won by 23, covering by 19.5. The moneyline closed at -166 for the Wolves and +140 for the Raptors, and the favorite never looked in danger after the first quarter.

The total closed at 228.5. The teams combined for 211, an under by 17.5. Toronto's 38 percent shooting and a slower fourth quarter kept it well short of the number, even with Minnesota scoring 117.

The full line history and prices are on the game page.

What's next

The unbeaten run has since ended. Minnesota lost 127-125 at the Cleveland Cavaliers and now sits at 3-1, with road wins at Miami (131-106) and Orlando (115-93) alongside this one.

The Wolves return home on Wednesday, October 28, to host the Golden State Warriors, on NBA League Pass. The question there is whether the turnover count comes down. Twenty-four giveaways went unpunished against Toronto, but a closer opponent will not allow that margin for error.

Toronto left Minneapolis at 2-1. Its next game was not part of the material available for this recap; check the Raptors page for the schedule and prices once the market posts them.