Gameday preview: Wolves at Toronto

February 10, 2020 at 6:20AM
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam brings the ball up court during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Raptors star Pascal Siakam. (Ken Chia — AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

6:30 p.m. at Toronto • FSN, 830-AM

Wolves update: The debut of the new-look Timberwolves was a smash on Saturday against the Clippers. The Wolves connected on a franchise-record 26 three-pointers and scored 81 points in the first half, a franchise record for a half. Some of the new acquisitions appeared to fit in seamlessly, especially Malik Beasley and James Johnson. Beasley had 23 points and connected on seven of his 13 three-point attempts. Johnson provided a steady hand on both ends of the floor and scored 15 points. This all came without D'Angelo Russell, who remains questionable to play Monday because of a right quad contusion. Also of note was the play of guard Jordan McLaughlin, who got the start with Russell out. McLaughlin had 24 points and 11 assists.

Raptors update: Riding a 14-game winning streak, defending NBA champion Toronto keeps humming along and is second in the Eastern Conference. Pascal Siakam earned an All-Star Game starting spot with his second consecutive breakout season. After earning Most Improved Player honors a season ago, Siakam is averaging 23.4 points and 7.6 rebounds and has helped ease the transition for Toronto after losing Kawhi Leonard in the offseason. … The Raptors have made defense their calling card and have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (104.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). Their net rating of 6.5 is fourth in the league. Yet they grab only 71% of all available defensive rebounds (27th in the league).

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