This season's Western Dark Horse, in the eyes of many people, is not the Minnesota Timberwolves. This team that has been in disarray for many years has finally risen completely this season, and the maturity of Downs, the hard work of Hanako, the old success of Russell, coupled with Beverley's passion, make this team a tiger and wolf division. So who is the Dark Horse of the East? Before that, people would say Hornets or Cavaliers, but now, the name should belong to the Toronto Raptors.
In the blink of an eye, they had come to the sixth position in the East. In this game, the dark horses of the East and the West met. The Raptors played against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home, and after a 17-point deficit, the Raptors completed a comeback and finally won a 23-point victory, once again giving us a glimpse of the strength of the dark horses of the East.
The Timberwolves, who played away, showed their strength in the first quarter, Towns bombed 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, directly filling the data column, Edwards was 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, the team scored 30 points in a single quarter, and the Raptors only scored 20 points, and the point difference came directly to double digits. After returning from the second quarter, the Timberwolves scored another 30 points, but the Raptors' offense broke out completely, Anunoby blasted 13 points and 1 assist, Achuva also had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and the team blasted 42 points in the single quarter, surpassing the Timberwolves by 2 points at the end of the halftime 62-60.
In the second half, the Raptors' offense continued, Trent scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, Siakam had 6 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, the team scored 35 points in a single quarter, and the Timberwolves only scored 22 points, and the point difference went directly to 15 points. After returning from the final quarter, the Timberwolves still did not find their touch, only scored 20 points, raptors rookie Barnes got 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, leading the team to a 125-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves by 23 points, successfully winning a wave of 4 consecutive wins.
A 23-point win, the team of 7 people scored in double figures, hit 18 three-pointers, the Raptors once again showed their strength, Trent had 29 points and 2 rebounds, Anunoby 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Barnes 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Siakam had a triple-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, VanVleet also had 12 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals, Achuva 13 points and 4 rebounds, Andys Young 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It is worth mentioning that the Raptors also unlocked the playoff advantage in advance.
According to Toronto's epidemic prevention regulations, players who have not been vaccinated cannot travel to Toronto to play. This also means that the Raptors' playoff opponents, if not fully vaccinated, then there will be some people who cannot play. Neither the 76ers nor the Celtics were reportedly fully vaccinated, and of course, the Nets' Irving.
The Timberwolves lost the game, Towns only had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Edwards had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and the starting five tigers all scored in double figures, but none of the bench scored in double figures. Although the Timberwolves are thriving in the regular season, when it comes to the playoff stage, this team must play a tougher performance.