Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Send Raptors Home Disappointed

The Toronto Raptors are disappointed after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 115-107 inside the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Raptors kept pace with the Wolves in the first half, but coming out of the locker room, Toronto couldn't hang with Minnesota, who won the quarter 35-22. That gave the Wolves a big lead that they wouldn't relinquish.

Raptors Struggle in Second Half vs. Wolves

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram dribbles the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu plays defense. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Raptors were led by RJ Barrett, who scored 25 points. Immanuel Quickley added 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting while Scottie Barnes had 16. Brandon Ingram struggled with just 14 points on 5 of 16 from the field. He came into the game with a questionable designation on the injury report with a thumb sprain and it's possible that affected his shooting.

Sandro Mamukelashvili managed to join his teammates in double figures with 11 points. The rest of the bench struggled, putting up just 14 points during the game.

The Wolves had a balanced scoring attack with six players scoring in double digits. Anthony Edwards was the leading scorer with 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. He also hit five 3-pointers in the win. Rudy Gobert notched a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Julius Randle was also strong with 17 points while Donte DiVincenzo had 16 points on four 3-pointers. As a team, the Wolves made 13 threes and Edwards and DiVincenzo accounted for nine of them. Ayo Dosunmu had 13 points off the bench while Naz Reid had 12 of his own.

The Raptors continue to follow this unfortunate tradition where they cannot beat teams ahead of them in the standings. It is now a glaring issue and it could plague them for the rest of the year. The Raptors are still in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but the gap between them and the No. 7 seed, which means they have to be in the Play-In Tournament, is only 1.5 games. The pressure is mounting.

The Raptors will have a few days off before taking on Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fans can watch the game on Sportsnet or stream it on NBA League Pass.

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