Via NBA.com

Toronto Raptors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 

How To Watch:

Date: Thursday, January 19th

Time: 8:00 pm EST

Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Record: Raptors (20-25), Timberwolves (22-24)

Things To Know:

-The Timberwolves are on the second night of a back-to-back after losing 122-118 to the Denver Nuggets last night. 

-The Raptors are coming in off one day of rest, in their last five games of doing so they are 4-1 against the spread. 

-This will wrap up a three game road trip for Toronto. 

Why The Raptors Can Win:

Minnesota will be without Karl-Anthony Towns as he continues to recover from a right calf strain, and could be without Rudy Gobert as he is listed as day-to-day. Those are two of the four top scorers for Minnesota, and will allow Toronto to focus on Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell. The Raptors already have a tough defense to face as they rank ninth in the NBA allowing only allowing 112.1 points per game. Slowing down this Minnesota offense that will already be sluggish coming off a game last night will be what provides Toronto the win. 

Why The Timberwolves Can Win:

Minnesota doesn’t have a great defense as they allow the 19th most points per game with 115.4, luckily for them, Toronto hasn’t been great on offense. For the Raptors their offense ranks 22nd, scoring only 112.2 points per game. Pascal Siakam is the only Toronto player averaging over 20 points per game. As long as Minnesota can slow him down, their defense can take pressure off the offense.  

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