Winners heading into the break. Nice.
Zarar and Kyle on Rap Up Live:
 | Raptors | 103 | Final Box Score | 91 | Timberwolves |  |
 A | P. Siakam41 MIN, 17 PTS, 9 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 7-17 FG, 0-1 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 BLK, 6 TO, +11 +/- Had effective stretches as the middle-man in the zone, and once the Wolves finally had to abandon it, he diced them up repeatedly to find his teammates for layups. Was also the Raptors most important defender in this one. In a game where things didn’t really go his way and the shooting touch wasn’t there, he fought to maintain his All-Star impact. | |
 B- | O. Anunoby30 MIN, 10 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 4-11 FG, 0-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, +1 +/- Really strong defensive performance, and you just have to hope the shot comes back around after the All-Star break. Not too worried about the slump, but you felt it a lot in some of the stretches tonight without Fred. | |
 B | S. Barnes32 MIN, 9 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 4-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 0 +/- He was awesome to start the game, but once the Wolves made the move to zone he had a muted presence on offense – which is okay in a win. He’s still playing way too high on ball handlers, but I thought he had a nice defensive game in this one. | |
 B+ | K. Birch20 MIN, 8 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- Really liked his performance in this one. Genuinely felt like he did everything he was capable of, whether it was push shots, timely rotations, or helping clear space on the glass. Good week of hoops from him. | |
 A | G. Trent Jr.39 MIN, 30 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 10-24 FG, 5-12 3FG, 5-7 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, +3 +/- Opened on a torrid stretch, closed with composure. His shot making was really great in this one as he took on a lot of the on-ball packages that Fred usually does. In his home state, and getting buckets. Well done. | |
 A+ | T. Young21 MIN, 10 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 5-9 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-1 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, +16 +/- He was phenomenal. Found space, made great reads, and helped out on defense. This game is a great example of how he can help this team. | |
 A- | C. Boucher22 MIN, 5 PTS, 10 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, +13 +/- Was a big part of the Raptors most potent defensive stretch and despite not being the *best* bench big tonight, he remains the heartbeat of what makes the unique bench lineups work. Such a great compete level on defense and the glass. | |
 A- | P. Achiuwa21 MIN, 11 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +12 +/- Best shot making game of the year, for my money. Ended up on the right side of a lot of passes that rewarded his cuts and mobility. Hit a corner triple, stood strong to change a few shots at the bucket. Strong game. | |
 C+ | M. Flynn7 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +7 +/- Nothing lost on the defensive end, and that’s so important to this team. Added very little offensively, but that matters very little. | |
 C+ | D. Banton8 MIN, 3 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Slick stepback! A muted performance, but that’s okay. | |
 A | Nick Nurse Found a lineup that really worked in this one with his All-Star guard out. Played big and weird against the big and weird Wolves, and they won it doing so. | |
Things We Saw
- Holding Ant Edwards to zero made shots is kind of nuts. That’s a significant accomplishment from this team and speaks volumes about the dig downs and the contests.
- “Pat Bev trick y’all man.”
- Jaden McDaniels continues to be such an intriguing and awesome player to watch. He and Naz Reid are both so incredibly fun in the fluent and gunning Wolves system.
