Raptors Start Strong, But Limp in Second Half vs. Wolves

The Toronto Raptors are frustrated after losing 115-107 to the Minnesota Timberwolves inside the Target Center.

The Raptors were playing well in the first half, trailing by just a single point, but they didn't come out of the locker room strong, which led to a Wolves run that gave them the lead for the rest of the game. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about the team's effort in the second half.

"I think we turned them over quite a bit in the first half. We did not do a good enough job in the second half in regard to that," Rajakovic said postgame.

"In the first half, we had our chances, our opportunities, but we also turned the ball over and allowed them to score 13 points off of our turnovers. Taking care of the ball was a big part of that. The quality of shots they were getting, we had moments that it looked really good, and maybe we had a lot of moments that we were going to do much better. "

Raptors Lose Tale of Two Halves vs. Wolves

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

In the previous meeting between the two teams last month, something similar took place. The Wolves brought more of an edge as the game went on, which led to them coming back in the fourth quarter for a surprising win. Raptors forward RJ Barrett felt a pattern in how they played in this latest matchup.

"Yeah, they kind of upped their physicality, honestly. It's the same thing they did when we played them last time. Second half, they upped their physicality, got some turnovers, some missed shots, but they were running," Barrett said postgame.

"They added Ayo [Dosunmu] out there, so they're playing a lot faster as well, but I don't know. I think they made a run and then we were battling back. We had it at nine a couple times, but they just made some shots."

The Wolves traded for Dosunmu the day after they beat the Raptors in Toronto last month and he made a big difference in their second unit. Ultimately, the Raptors were unable to react to the adjustments in the right way to win.

When the Raptors lose, they usually don't get blown out. They play well enough for part of the game, but they don't have an effort for 48 minutes that can get the job done. That is an Achilles heel for the team and the hope is that they can fix things before it's too late.

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