Minnesota Timberwolves (3-0) beat Toronto Raptors (2-1) 117-94 at home on Sunday, October 25. The final margin was 23 points.
When it got away
The Timberwolves broke it open in the third quarter, winning that quarter 35-15. Their lead was 28 at that break, and it stayed in double digits at every break after.
Why it was lopsided
The Timberwolves shot 65.6% on an effective basis to 44% for the Raptors and the Timberwolves cashed in 20.8 free throws for every 100 shots, the Raptors only 15.4. Shot quality is the biggest of the four factors, and it was the clearest gap.
The Raptors did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 14.8 against 21.8. The Timberwolves made up for it elsewhere.
The game played at about 101 possessions per team. The Timberwolves scored 115.7 points per 100 possessions and the Raptors scored 93, a difference of 22.7.
The Timberwolves' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 47-29.
Who stood out
Ja'Kobe Walter (TOR) posted the best line of the night by Game Score (21.1): 22 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast on 7-12 shooting. The team was -22 in the minutes Ja'Kobe played.
For the Timberwolves, LaMelo Ball was the best of the rest at 15.3: 15 pts, 1 reb, 8 ast on 5-8 shooting.
Game Score is a single number that weighs points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, shooting efficiency, fouls and turnovers. It is not an official stat, just a quick way to rank lines.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Timberwolves about a 69% chance.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 3-1.
The Timberwolves are now 3-0, and the Raptors are 2-1. The Timberwolves last five before this game: W-L-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.