Gameday: Timberwolves @ Raptors, Feb. 10

Hot on the heels of Karl-Anthony Towns first win since November, the Timberwolves come North of the border, but southeast of their actual location. Awaiting them is the fantastic Toronto Raptors, who are in the midst of a 14-game winning streak, one that I’m sure they would love to keep alive. The Timberwolves are hoping to unveil their latest addition, D’Aangelo Russell (who is questionable with a bruised quad), and embark on a new chapter for the franchise. There’s no doubt they’re built around and through Towns, but when he’s in the midst of a transition into a mercurial figure, as he was “questionable (ruled out before game)” for 14 straight contests, it’s tough to find any consistency. So, they shook up the roster. Trading Andrew Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell, and sliding into several other deals as a safe haven for displace players. All in all, they picked up 7 new players at the trade deadline.

All this to say, it’s a tough job to project how they might play tonight, especially if Russell is in on the action. We’ve seen Russell and Towns both have great games against the Raptors, but separately. Will the Timberwolves hand over the offense to Russell and run countless pick n’ rolls? Will they try and tease some more off-ball dynamism out of Russell by using Towns as the fulcrum of all things offense? Or will they try to emulate the 26-made-triples performance they unleashed on an unwitting Clippers team? Mind you, the last two are closely tied together.

Towns was very active as a screener against the Clippers. Pitch plays, dribble hand-offs, regular old screens, and nodding players into back-cuts to the rim. He looked the part of Marc Gasol above-the-break, while still maintaining that transcendent level of big man talent that pretty much only ‘KAT’ has. It was a sight to behold, and one that the Raptors should be well aware has a chance of materializing tonight.

This is a big game for Serge Ibaka. Towns isn’t an elite passer, but he’s gifted. The Raptors overzealous doubles and dig-ins could spell doom. The Timberwolves offense has been invigorated with off-shoots from the Denver Nuggets, and if any crop of players knows how to work back-cuts, hand-offs or split-action around a big man, it’s them. Ibaka has done a commendable job of suiting up against some of the league’s most potent centers this year, but tonight is going to be incredibly tough.

Of all the games that the Raptors have been slated for in this winning streak – Kyle Lowry’s questionable status (whiplash), and the invigorated Towns, make this the least optimistic I’ve been about a game so far. The Timberwolves were really active defensively against the (near full health) Clippers, and punished over-helping. If Towns can pass as well as he did, and the supporting cast is potent from downtown and on the cut, this will be a really tough team to keep up with for the Raptors.

It’s a good thing, then, that the Raptors are such a great team. And while the Timberwolves have certainly seemed to catch lightning in a bottle, the Raptors have been the thunder this year. The lightning has the flash, everyone sees it (Lakers, Clippers), but the Thunder is the low rumbling that everyone is aware of – always a sign of things to come.