Wolves get into offensive rhythm and beat Raptors in home opener

The Timberwolves’ offense was frequently disjointed in their first two games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, especially in the early stages; Both games featured poor ball movement and first quarters filled with turnovers.

Nothing could have gone further than the case that took place on Saturday night.

The Timberwolves offense was firing on all cylinders early, from excellent ball movement to shooting, and spoke of a much cleaner game in the turnover department. The Wolves opened the game on a 16-3 run and barely looked back in a 112-101 home victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night at Target Center.

“I liked our approach from the beginning, talked about getting off to a great start, establishing ourselves. We did that,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “You know, there were periods where we stood up and still lost our focus and concentration, but we have to work on that, get a little better there.”

The Wolves (2-1) had their best offensive performance of the season, moving the ball fluidly and producing 29 assists on the night with up-tempo play. The Raptors (1-2) were almost out of the game. After the early scoring, they didn’t get themselves back into single digits until the third quarter when Gradey Dick, who finished with a game-high 25 points, scored eight points in the first few minutes of the quarter. The Wolves responded with a 13-0 run.

Ochai Agbaji’s three-pointer with 2 minutes and 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave the Raptors a 104-96 lead, but it was too little, too late. Anthony Edwards hit an ice-cold three-pointer late in the game to reach his 7,000th career point and seal the win for the Timberwolves.

The Wolves took a clear step forward offensively on Saturday night, and it was clear that Julius Randle, who finished with 24 points and nine rebounds, was starting to settle into the offense. It took some getting used to playing alongside Rudy Gobert and the rest of the starting lineup, but things were looking up on Saturday, even against an underdog Raptors team without RJ Barrett for the second straight shot. Still, it was an encouraging offensive effort.

As a team, Wolves finished the game with 29 assists and shot 47% from the field and 38% from three-point range. They made the most of transition opportunities and finished the match with 21 fast break points, as well as 13 second chance points. While they had 13 turnovers on the night, they forced the Raptors into 20 turnovers when things were going well defensively.

“It seems like everything is starting to come together, you know, maybe the things we can lean into are starting to take shape a little bit,” Finch said. “We’ve got to keep doing these things, especially when it matters most, but it was good for these guys.”