Julius Randle needed all of two games to find his footing with his new teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Randle will try to keep his momentum going as he makes his home debut in front of an expected sellout crowd at Target Center against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Minnesota has split two games on the road to start the season. The Timberwolves lost their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and responded with a win against the Sacramento Kings, thanks in large part to 33 points from Randle.
“He was phenomenal,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It set the tone, kept us in the game early, almost all by himself.
“That (starting) lineup in particular right now is kind of struggling to find a great rhythm. He was decisive. He shot the ball well, created a ton of shots for his teammates, played with great physicality. Loved his defense, too.”
Toronto will try to slow Randle as it looks for two victories in as many nights. The Raptors are coming off a 115-107 win at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. He added five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Five other Raptors players scored in double digits, including big man Jakob Poeltl with 19 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic praised the collective effort. It is something he wants to continue to see as Toronto heads west to Minnesota.
“This team is together,” Rajakovic said after Friday’s win. “I thought we out-teamed them tonight. I thought that made up for a lot of mistakes.”
Along with Randle, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo is expected to make his home debut with his new team. DiVincenzo and Randle were part of the return for Karl-Anthony Towns, a longtime fan favorite who was shipped to the New York Knicks just before the start of the season.
In his first two games on the road, DiVincenzo has averaged 9.5 points on 33.3 percent shooting, including a 21.4 percent clip from behind the arc.
Randle said his breakout performance in his most recent game largely was thanks to teammate Anthony Edwards, who draws attention from opposing defenses and is capable of surging to the rim at any moment for a shot or to open up a teammate.
“Ant makes the game so easy because he’s just such a threat out there,” Randle said. “He’s unbelievable. I said it from the beginning, he’s so special. When we both get going like that, it’s a lot of fun.”
Edwards is averaging 29.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his first two games of the post-Towns era.
The Timberwolves and Raptors played twice last season, with each team earning a win on its home court. The Raptors won 97-94 in the first matchup in Toronto, and the Timberwolves responded with a 133-85 win in Minneapolis.
–Field Level Media
