Minnesota beat Toronto 117-94 at home on Sunday, leading by as many as 32, and woke up 3-0. Tonight it plays at Cleveland, where the question is whether the defense travels as well as the scoring has.
Seventeen Minutes
LaMelo Ball played 17 minutes against Toronto, scored 15, handed out eight assists and made four of five threes. Minnesota outscored the Raptors by 33 while he was on the floor. Jaden McDaniels was +31 in 31 minutes and Jonathan Kuminga +23 in 26. Anthony Edwards scored 26 on 10-of-18 shooting but gave the ball away four times. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic pointed to the team's 10 turnovers as the one thing keeping the lead from reaching 25.
Cleveland, Then a Busy Week
The Cavaliers are 1-1 under Kenny Atkinson. Both teams come in with one day of rest, so neither side has a schedule excuse. Minnesota then hosts Golden State on Wednesday, October 28, and Clippers on Friday, October 30, before a trip to San Antonio on October 31. That is the week's one back-to-back, in a four-game stretch.
The Third Quarter
The number worth holding onto is 15, the points Toronto scored in the third quarter while Minnesota went from 55-47 ahead to 90-62. Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds on 4-of-4 shooting in 31 minutes and finished +21. The open question is whether that defensive standard holds on the road, against a Cleveland team that has played one fewer home game than Minnesota.
Who do the Timberwolves play tonight?
Minnesota plays at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, October 26. The Timberwolves are 3-0 and the Cavaliers are 1-1.
How did LaMelo Ball play against the Raptors?
Ball scored 15 points with eight assists in 17 minutes, making four of five threes. Minnesota was +33 with him on the floor in the 117-94 win.
