Anthony Edwards scored 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 117-94 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.
LaMelo Ball finished with 15 points and eight assists for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row to start the season. Terrence Shannon Jr. also scored 15 points off the bench, and Jaden McDaniels recorded 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Ja’Kobe Walter scored 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead Toronto, which sustained its first loss after starting the season with back-to-back wins. RJ Barrett added 20 points, and Immanuel Quickley scored 19. Starter Scottie Barnes was 0-for-12, including 0-for-5 from distance, in 28 minutes.
Raptors star forward Kawhi Leonard was scratched before the game because of swelling in his left knee. The 35-year-old Leonard is averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals through two games in his return to Toronto.
Toronto trailed by double digits throughout the fourth quarter.
Minnesota outscored Toronto 35-15 in the third quarter to grab a 90-62 advantage.
The Timberwolves opened the second half with a 22-6 run to grab a 77-53 edge midway through the third quarter. Ball started the run with a layup, and McDaniels added a three-point conversion with a layup and a free throw less than a minute later.
Second-year big man Joan Beringer provided the scoring at the end of the run for Minnesota. He made an alley-oop dunk off a lob from Ball with 6:21 to go in the third quarter, and he drained a pair of free throws to make it a 24-point lead with 5:46 left.
The Timberwolves jumped to an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Shannon converted a three-point play with a layup and a free throw with 22 seconds remaining to secure the double-digit lead.
Minnesota opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to increase its lead to 17 points. McDaniels and Shannon buried back-to-back 3-pointers.
The Raptors finished the first half on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to eight points. Quickley hit a 3-pointer and Collin Murray-Boyles made a free throw to cap the scoring.
