The Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors are off to near-perfect starts.
Only one of those teams can stay unbeaten when the Timberwolves tip off against the Raptors on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.
Minnesota has won its first two games by an average margin of 23.5 points. The Timberwolves toppled Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat in their season opener, then manhandled the Orlando Magic in Game No. 2.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards credited the team’s intense offseason workouts and training camp for its strong start.
“If you’d seen how we’ve been playing against each other for the past two months, then you’d know we’re ready for physical teams,” Edwards said. “We’ve been going at each other for the last two months. It felt good to put it on somebody else.”
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch confirmed Edwards’ account of training camp.
“That September gym, I thought at times there was a lot of kind of bad blood there,” Finch said. “There were a lot of times I thought it had boiled over.
“But it was great to see the intensity. Those guys were really going at it. They enjoyed it. They’ve been able to bring that edge into training camp and now the season.”
Toronto is also off to a red-hot beginning to the 2026-27 campaign. The Raptors have won their first two games by an average of 26.5 points, including a home win against the Chicago Bulls and a road victory over the Washington Wizards.
Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles said he and his teammates have also focused on a physical mindset to beat opponents on the glass and in the paint.
“We don’t feel small at all,” Murray-Boyles said. “We use it as an advantage. We move around them. At the other end, we stretch them out as much as possible. We don’t see (our size) as a disadvantage at all.”
Scottie Barnes leads the Raptors with 25.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. RJ Barrett is second with 21.5 points on 56.7 percent shooting, and veteran Kawhi Leonard ranks third with 19.5 points and a team-high 3.5 steals per game.
For the Timberwolves, Edwards leads with 30 points per game. LaMelo Ball has recorded 16.5 points per game, and Jaden McDaniels is averaging 16 points.
Second-year big man Joan Beringer continues to see playing time as Rudy Gobert’s backup for the Timberwolves. The 19-year-old is averaging 4.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Finch praised Beringer’s potential but acknowledged that the young center will experience growing pains as he adjusts to a larger role.
“There’s going to be some inconsistencies,” Finch said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’ve just got to be able to kind of get through that until a point where he’s more comfortable.”
Minnesota won both of its games against Toronto last season. They won 128-126 in Toronto, and they held on for a 115-107 win in Minneapolis.
–Field Level Media
