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3 Takeaways From Toronto's 103-91 Victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Toronto Raptors wrapped up their pre-All-Star Break schedule with a 103-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here are the biggest takeaways from the game.
1. No VanVleet Means No Spacing
The Raptors' offense gets bogged down in a hurry when Toronto is forced to play without Fred VanVleet as they were Wednesday night. Without him, the Raptors are down to just two above-average three-point shooters, and only one when OG Anunoby is struggling the way he has lately. That lack of shooting allowed Minnesota to just sit back in a zone for most of the night, daring Toronto to shoot from deep while packing the paint and deterring inside shots.
While the Raptors did make some headway at the rim, they couldn't generate drive-and-kick openings without capable shooters. Instead, Toronto was forced to make due in isolation, asking Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam to make something out of nothing.
"We went through a stretch where we got a little stagnant and didn't get a lot of great shots," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "I thought Pascal kind of figured it out a little bit. He just kind of decided to keep moving from the side to the middle to the side and finding a way to get in there and find cutters and kick out."
Toronto didn't make a single three-pointer in the second and third quarters until...
2. Bench Makes a Difference
Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher came off the bench and rose to the call for Toronto, ending an 0-for-12 three-point shooting spell with a pair of back-to-back threes to put the Raptors up seven early in the fourth.
"I just kept saying ‘listen, the shots are there, you guys got to step into ‘em. Somebody’s gotta make ‘em and they did," Nurse said.
Siakam led a bench unit on a 13-4 run to start the fourth while Thaddeus Young showed just how far he's come in less than a week with the Raptors. He popped off for 10 points off the bench mostly off savvy cuts to the rim.
"He understands spacing," Nurse said of Young. "He just knows how to play the game. He knows when to pass the ball, he knows when to cut, and things like that, which aren't easy. Those guys that are cutters are really important. It's a feel thing and that's a really vital part of your offense."
Considering how well Achiuwa and Boucher were playing, Toronto let the two forwards play deep into the fourth before going with Young in the closing lineup over Khem Birch who started the night.
3. Don't Poke the Bear
Patrick Beverley made a big mistake pre-game, getting into a tussle with Trent just before the opening tipoff. It was a pointless disagreement that just seemed to inspire Trent who rebounded from an off night Monday to lead Toronto with 30 points Wednesday.
It wasn't always pretty from Trent, but he carried the Raptors early and nailed the dagger with two minutes to go, a transition three-pointer from Siakam to end the night. It came in front of his father, Gary Trent Sr., who wore a fur jacket all night, and Trent's three younger brothers, Garyson, Grayson, and Graydon.
"It means everything to me. Them having the opportunity to see me play, to live through me, see that it's possible, that it's attainable, that they can reach the same goals that I'm at, the same level that I'm at, it's the same thing that I did with my father, seeing him play," Trent said.
Fun Fact: Nick Nurse Met the Queen
Raptors coach Nick Nurse spent some time pre-game reflecting on his British League days coaching alongside and against former Raptors assistant turned Timberwolve head coach Chris Finch. One notable memory came during the 2012 Summer Olympics when Nurse was coaching the British Men's Olympic Basketball team and met Queen Elizabeth II.
"She said, 'what do you do?' And I said, 'I'm with the senior men's basketball team.' And she said, 'you've got to be quite tall to play basketball.' And I said, 'yeah, you do,'" Nurse recalled with a laugh.
Injury Report: VanVleet will be OK
VanVleet missed Wednesday's game with a right knee contusion, but an MRI on the leg came back clean and he's expected to be good to go for All-Star weekend, Nurse said.
Up Next: All-Star Break
The Raptors are off until next Friday for the All-Star break and Siakam couldn't be happier.
“I can’t wait. Feels good," he said before pointing to his grin. “Can you see it? I’m excited.”
VanVleet will participate in the All-Star Game on Sunday night at 8 p.m. as well as the three-point contest on Saturday night. Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa will compete in the Rising Stars Game on Friday night at 9 p.m. ET.
