The Toronto Raptors will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight on the road!
The Toronto Raptors are looking to turn their luck around. They had a tough loss against an undermanned Bucks on Tuesday, and now there is a lot of chatter about team chemistry and locker room cohesiveness. Tonight, the road takes them to Minnesota to take on another undermanned team, the Timberwolves.
Having beaten the Timberwolves three consecutive times dating back to last year, it’s crunch time for the Raptors. Can they go on a winning streak and stay in contention?
To put it nicely, the Raptors have had a roller coaster of a season, with plenty of lows. After a three-game winning streak seemed to hint at the possibility of turning things around, the Raptors lost an important game to the Bucks, who were missing their top two stars. That hurt really bad!
This loss has hit them hard, and Nick Nurse has made it clear that his team must step up if they are going to make it into the postseason. Coach Nurse believes in his team's ability to compete at a high level and believes that they can get back on track with the right changes and adjustments.
Minnesota is coming off a tough loss, and they're on a second night of a back-to-back tonight!
Minnesota Timberwolves is coming off a tough loss against the Denver Nuggets last night, and they are missing key players. Karl-Anthony Towns, their star center, is sidelined with a calf injury, and Rudy Gobert has been ruled out due to a sore groin. That leaves Anthony Edwards as the main source of scoring for Minnesota tonight.
Despite being without two of their top three players, Minnesota still managed to put up seven double-figure scorers in their loss to the Nuggets last night. Jaden McDaniels led all scorers with 18 points, while Kyle Anderson had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Naz Reid stepped into the starting role for Gobert and added 17 points.
Coach Finch liked the shots they got last night, and he fervently believes his squad needs to start taking advantage of their open shots tonight to come away victorious versus the Raptors.
Scottie has been on a tear lately!
Scottie Barnes has been playing great for the Toronto Raptors lately. Last season's Rookie of the Year has stepped up his game this month, averaging 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting an impressive 48.8 percent from the field. Barnes is now out to prove himself with double-doubles in four of his past six outings, recording a team-high 12 on the year after he had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 130-122 loss to Milwaukee Bucks.
Toronto coach Nick Nurse praised Barnes' efforts, saying, “he has just decided to play more aggressively, and that’s good.” He adds that they could play through Barnett pass-first, and if things don't go as planned, he can still be aggressive by playing through the low post.
More of the same from Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, please!
The Raptors will have to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet to the W. VanVleet is particularly hot right now, averaging 36 points in his last two games. On the other hand, Siakam is also playing well and has averaged 27.1 points in his last 16 games.
These two players have demonstrated their ability to lead Toronto to victory more than once; on March 30th, they powered the Raptors to a 125-102 win over Minnesota, with Siakam capping it off with a triple-double performance of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Let's make things right again!
Tonight’s a chance to reboot. To recover from this rollercoaster season and make it better. Refocus, realign and rethink - it’s time for a shift.
This pivotal moment calls for action and renewed effort. So let’s turn up the volume and ramp up the energy. Start with small steps, positive change is always within reach.
We might sound like a broken record but tonight is another chance to make things right. The time has come for us to salvage what's left from this harrowing season by starting anew - equipped with refreshed mindsets and strategies galore- now is not just another night but rather a promising opportunity awaiting the Raptors to make things right again!
