The Raptors suffered their first loss of the season in their first big test, losing 117-94 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, as star forward Scottie Barnes was held scoreless for the first time since 2023.
asserted
Barnes → suffer → 2023
He settled for tough mid-range shots at times, shying away from attacking the basket.
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He → settle → basket
It was the second time in Barnes’ NBA career where he couldn’t convert a field goal.
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he → convert → goal
“He just missed his shots,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said.
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Rajakovic → miss → shots
“All the shoots that he took in the game, I thought they were good shots.
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they → take → game
This is not going to happen again to Scottie.
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This → go → Scottie
Scottie’s going to make those shots next time.”
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Scottie → go → shots
The Raptors, who struggled from three-point range, were also without Kawhi Leonard due to left knee swelling.
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who → struggle → swelling
Minnesota star Anthony Edwards finished with 26 points and three assists on 10-for-18 shooting.
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Edwards → finish → shooting
Backcourt mate LaMelo Ball poured in 15 points in limited minutes.
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Ball → pour → minutes
Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walters got the start in Leonard’s absence and contributed a team-high 22 points.
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Walters → get → points
You knew it was going to be a long night when Toronto started the game 1-for-10 from three-point range and trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half.
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Toronto → know → half
Rajakovic saw the warning signs of a poor shooting night and brought in sharpshooter Jamison Battle in the first quarter to provide a spark but he also struggled to find his shot, going 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
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he → see → arc
Toronto finished the night shooting 26 per cent from three-point range on 38 shots.
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Toronto → finish → shots
The Timberwolves had no such problems, making 57 per cent of their 14 first-half attempts, but their 12 turnovers kept the Raptors within striking distance.
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turnovers → have → distance
Point guard Immanuel Quickley came alive in the second quarter, pouring in 14 of his 19 points by halftime.
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Quickley → come → halftime
Toronto trailed by just eight points.
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Toronto → trail → points
But Minnesota’s hot shooting kept the onslaught coming in the second half.
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onslaught → keep → half
They led by as many as 28 points and finished the night shooting 48 per cent from three-point range.
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They → lead → range
“We did some good stuff, we just did not make shots,” Rajakovic said.
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Rajakovic → do → shots
“When you shoot 38 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from the three-point line, it’s hard to overcome that.
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it → shoot → that
Raptors forward RJ Barrett let it be known early he was going to attack the rim at will.
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he → let → will
He kept Toronto on life support, scoring 11 of their first 15 points.
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He → keep → points
It didn’t matter that Jaden McDaniels, one of the NBA’s premier perimeter and point-of-attack defenders, was in front of Barrett.
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McDaniels → matter → Barrett
He also wasn’t shy to bang inside and attack Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves’ towering centre and four-time defensive player of the year.
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He → bang → year
Barrett finished with 20 points, two rebounds, two assists on 9-for-21 shooting.
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Barrett → finish → shooting
The Raptors forward has scored at least 20 in all three games to start the season.
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forward → score → season
Leonard’s absence
Leonard was ruled out of Sunday’s game about an hour before tip-off due to swelling in his left knee.
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Leonard → rule → knee
It was a bit of a surprise as Leonard wasn’t originally listed on the injury report and he went through his normal pre-game routine.
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he → list → routine
Leonard struggled to find his shot in the first two games.
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Leonard → struggle → games
He had 23 points on 5-for-17 shooting in the opener against Chicago and 16 points on 7-for-19 shooting in Friday’s win over Washington, which snapped his 20-point scoring streak at 58 consecutive regular season games.
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which → have → games
Leonard has dealt with several knee injuries over the last few years, most notably withdrawing from the U.S. team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Leonard → deal → Olympics
His absence Sunday put a damper on a highly anticipated matchup of two unbeaten teams entering Sunday.
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absence → put → teams
The Raptors are off until Wednesday, when they’ll welcome the Orlando Magic for a two-game series at home, including and their first NBA Cup matchup.
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they → welcome → matchup
The Magic will be without Paolo Banchero, who recently sustained a low-grade right high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss the next four to six weeks.
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who → sustain → weeks
The Aporia
