Wins in November typically don’t call for exultation, but the Toronto Raptors couldn’t resist on Monday night.
After ending a seven-game skid with a 130-119 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers, Toronto hopes to further climb out of its early-season slump when it hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
“I don’t know if you guys heard the celebration in the locker room, obviously it was a little bit of a relief factor with it,” said Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, who had 30 points and 15 rebounds against the Pacers. “And it’s obviously great to get that winning feeling back.”
RJ Barrett had a season-best 39 points for the Raptors, who are 3-4 at home. Minnesota is 3-4 on the road.
Toronto can avenge a 112-101 road loss to the Timberwolves on Oct. 26 in Thursday’s rematch.
The Timberwolves won for the second game in a row with a 120-117 home victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, with Julius Randle hitting a game-ending 3-pointer. Randle had 35 points and Anthony Edwards added 24.
The Timberwolves trailed for most of the game and were down by as many as 16 points.
“That’s what I’m most proud of, really. Guys found a way to hang in there,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It’s a little bit of a microcosm of our season so far. We have just got to find a way to keep battling and eking out some results until we can catch the rhythm that we know is there.”
Part of the solution for Minnesota would be steadier defensive play.
“Well, I would hope defensive consistency, for sure,” Finch said. “A little smarter play. We have opportunities to take control of the game, seize the game, capitalize. We just have a few too many ill-advised turnovers, still. Our turnover numbers are down, but we had some unfortunately-timed ones (Sunday).”
Minnesota allowed Phoenix to shoot 54.1 percent (46-for-85) from the field and trailed by 10 at halftime.
“We didn’t fold,” said Minnesota center Rudy Gobert, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots on Sunday. “So for me, that’s what matters is that our mindset is still always going, always competing, always resilient. Then we get better, figure it out. We have guys that want to win. We have a lot of talent in this room, and I think we’ll keep re-finding our identity defensively, and once we do that, everything else is going to click.”
In the win over Indiana, Toronto trailed once by one point and led by as many as 22 points. The Raptors shot 58.5 percent (48-for-82) from the field, including 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from 3-point range.
Poeltl has averaged 30 points and 15 rebounds over the past three games, shooting 71.9 percent (41-for-57) from the field.
“I think what we’re doing really well is finding him,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “(Poeltl is) playing really well in pick-and-rolls. He’s getting better in reading when the defense is going over and under and finding his pocket pass. And he’s been, as you can see, playing with more force, going downhill and trying to dunk some of those situations.
“That’s a testament to his work,” Rajakovic continued. “That’s a testament to everything that he did over the course of the summer, and if he continues like this, we’re going to have another All-Star player.”
Toronto forward Scottie Barnes (right orbital fracture) returned to full practice on Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday’s game.
