First Quarter
The game started in the most Timberwolves way possible. I was immediately frustrated watching the opening minutes. Minnesota came out flat again and Toronto jumped on it early.
At that point the familiar Wolves fan thought kicks in. Which Timberwolves team are we getting tonight? The one that digs itself into a hole and never recovers, or the one that suddenly flips a switch and storms back.
The biggest early concern in this matchup was the glass. Jakob Poeltl usually eats on the boards against us so Rudy Gobert had to make that a priority.
Minnesota went down early again. Toronto came out playing with better pace offensively and forced an early Timberwolves timeout.
Right out of that timeout there was a classic Anthony Edwards moment. Ant stepped over half court himself instead of advancing the ball to start the set and still finished the play. It was an incredible individual play and that is what makes Ant special. He has the skill to make plays like that.
He also got lucky. His foot clearly stepped on the half court line during the move and the refs missed it. That should have been a violation.
At the same time it is not the smart play. After a timeout you are supposed to run the set Chris Finch just drew up, not improvise. Ant got away with it because he is Anthony Edwards, but that is exactly the kind of thing Finch is trying to clean up.
Jaden McDaniels picked up foul trouble very early which brought Ayo Dosunmu into the game sooner than expected.
One of the best sequences of the quarter came when Julius Randle snapped a beautiful pass inside to Rudy Gobert. Rudy finished through contact. It is really nice seeing those two starting to connect offensively.
Minnesota ran several possessions with Randle isolated at the high post around the foul line. Finch went to Naz Reid for Gobert on the first big rotation at the 5:55 mark, which is usually the stretch where things can get shaky.
This time it actually worked.
Randle kept getting his post touches, drawing fouls and making plays. Ayo looked for cuts when Julius posted up. The cuts did not quite connect yet but the movement was there which is important.
Gobert came back in for Randle shortly after.
The bench lineup that really flipped the quarter was Bones Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu, Kyle Anderson, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert. That group pushed Minnesota back into gear.
Finch followed that lineup with Bones Hyland, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert, and that group leveled things up even more. The defense tightened, the pace picked up, and the Wolves got the push they needed to fully swing the momentum and begin the comeback.
Minnesota closed the quarter strong and flipped the early deficit into momentum.
Second Quarter
Bones Hyland looked much more confident in this stretch. A little out of control at times but the aggression is good. Minnesota needs that spark.
One of the best moments came from Kyle Anderson directing traffic. You could clearly hear Kyle yelling for Naz Reid to clear out and fix the spacing on a possession. That type of awareness and leadership matters especially with bench groups.
Still not sure why we do not see more pick and roll between Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. The combination feels obvious.
Edwards did start looking for the pass more out of the pick and roll this quarter and found both Gobert and Randle a few times.
Ayo Dosunmu also got some nice midrange looks.
His biggest impact was transition. Ayo created several fast break opportunities by pushing the ball and forcing turnovers defensively.
The second quarter had some ups and downs but none of it felt like effort related. Basketball is a game of runs. Minnesota stayed steady and went into halftime with the lead.
Third Quarter
Chris Finch stuck with the starters for a long stretch because the flow was working.
The only real change came when Julius Randle replaced Naz Reid later in the rotation similar to the pattern from the previous game.
Then Anthony Edwards detonated the highlight of the night.
Ant threw down a massive poster over RJ Barrett. The energy in the building flipped instantly. The entire team started playing harder and faster after that moment.
Another great sequence came from Rudy Gobert fighting through traffic for an offensive rebound and kicking it out to Naz Reid for a three.
Minnesota stayed consistent throughout the entire quarter. No energy lapses. No stretch where Toronto could sneak back into the game.
The Wolves closed the third with a huge run and built a comfortable lead.
Fourth Quarter
Bones Hyland opened the fourth with minutes again which is a good sign Finch trusts him right now.
The motor stayed high across the entire lineup as Minnesota slowly started pulling away.
Rudy Gobert completely controlled the paint late in the game. He finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks while shooting 7-for-8 from the field, with several of those plays coming in the fourth quarter. When the Wolves needed a stop or an easy bucket inside Rudy delivered.
Kyle Anderson had some incredible passes and finished with four assists, continuing to organize the offense whenever he was on the floor. When Kyle gets to four assists it usually means the offense is flowing.
Clean looks for Gobert came from multiple players throughout the night including Ayo, Kyle, and Jaden McDaniels.
Anthony Edwards continued making the right reads out of the pick and roll instead of forcing shots. He still finished with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting and 5-for-8 from three.
Ayo Dosunmu also made a huge impact off the bench with 13 points and three steals, finishing a game high +25 while creating several transition opportunities.
The bench unit overall played a major role in the outcome of this game. Recent additions combined with Bones Hyland stepping up gave Minnesota a level of energy and scoring depth that helped stabilize the game when the starters were rotating.
Minnesota pushed the lead to 18 late in the fourth before Toronto made a quick run in the final minutes. The Raptors scored ten straight which made the final score look closer than the game actually was.
Minnesota still closed it out comfortably.
Final Thoughts
Balanced scoring. Defensive activity. Bench units continuing to grow.
The bench production stood out tonight and it is becoming clear the recent additions are starting to give this roster real depth. Bones Hyland stepping up and playing confidently adds another layer to what this team can do.
We also saw consistent rotations from Finch. Almost completely identical to the Grizzlies game the other night. The wolves are really starting to lock in and get the consistent game plan down at the right time of the season.
The biggest difference in this game though was the consistency of the team’s activity. Minnesota stayed active defensively, moved the ball, and kept playing with energy the entire night. Even when the game had small swings the Wolves never got down on themselves and never started playing moody basketball. They just kept handling business possession after possession.
That level of consistency is something this team has struggled with in the past. Tonight it showed up for four quarters.
Games like this make the roster feel deeper and more connected every week.
The Timberwolves take a 115-107 win over the Raptors.
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