Game Preview #63 – Timberwolves vs. Raptors

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Toronto Raptors
Date: March 5th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio

If you’re a Timberwolves fan, you know how this goes.

They win four straight, you convince yourself the three-seed is inevitable… and then the Wolves play a random midweek game against a feisty team and suddenly you’re stress-eating Oreos at 10:43 p.m. wondering how you got here again.

Minnesota has won four straight after taking care of Memphis on Tuesday night. They’re technically tied with Houston in the standings, even if the head-to-head tiebreaker currently has them sitting in the four spot. Things are looking up.

But the Wolves’ job is nowhere close to finished.

The Memphis Win

The Wolves didn’t exactly stroll through their outing with Memphis. They were sluggish early and fell into a hole. For a minute it looked like we might be headed toward another one of those night….

But they stabilized in the second quarter, chipped away, and eventually the talent gap showed. By the fourth, Minnesota turned on the jets and the game tilted the way it should tilt when you have the deeper roster and the best player on the floor.

Speaking of which… Anthony Edwards dropped his ninth 40-point game of the season. Ninth!

Memphis was feisty, played hard, and put on a solid performance. But in the end, it didn’t matter because Edwards is a cheat code when he decides a game is over.

The Raptors Landmine Game

Now comes Toronto, one of those opponents that always looks harmless on paper until you actually play them. The Raptors aren’t among the league’s elite, but they’re solid. They have scorers and defenders. They push the pace. They play with energy. And they’re jockeying for their own positioning out East, meaning this is not some “show up and collect the win” opponent.

Also, they’re going to be mad.

They absolutely remember last month’s game in Canada, when Minnesota came back, stole their lunch money, and left Anthony Edwards to deliver that “Bruce Lee died” line like he was doing crowd work at a comedy club. That kind of thing leaves a mark. Teams don’t forget that. So if Minnesota walks into Wednesday night thinking, “We already handled these guys,” then congratulations: you’ve just written the first chapter of a very familiar Wolves horror story.

Here are the keys to the game…

#1 – Turn the Key on Defense and Don’t Let Up

This Raptors team will absolutely take whatever you give them. If the Wolves come out sleepwalking, Toronto will run, slash, move the ball, and suddenly you’re down 12. The Wolves need to treat this like a dogfight from the opening tip. Defensive intensity from the jump.

And this is where Minnesota’s depth should matter. The Wolves are deeper now. They can throw bodies. They can rotate. They can stay fresh. Between the trade deadline pickup of Ayo Dosunmu and grabbing Slo-Mo after his buy-out, they have more options to keep legs moving and pressure up. This should be a game where Minnesota’s defensive depth shows up like a wave, not a couple of isolated moments of effort.

#2 – Use the Size Advantage Like You Actually Know You Have It

This one is simple: the Wolves have a three-headed interior monster with Gobert, Randle, and Naz. It’s a real, tangible advantage that should show up in the most basic basketball ways:

• Win the rebounding battle
• Protect the rim
• Create second-chance points
• Punish smaller lineups
• Force Toronto into tough shots

And this isn’t just about “posting up” It’s about wearing a team down. It’s about making the Raptors feel Gobert’s presence on every drive. It’s about making Randle’s physicality a problem. It’s about Naz bending their coverage because he can pop out and torch you.

If Minnesota is serious about stacking wins, they can’t treat their size like an accessory. It has to be the engine.

#3 Connect from Deep

Against Memphis, the Wolves shot 29% from three. That’s not “slightly off.” That’s “someone please check the rim” territory. Edwards was an amazing 7-for-13 from deep, but the rest of the team? Three made threes on 21 attempts. That’s the kind of stat that makes you blink twice and re-check it like a typo.

The Wolves got away with it because Memphis is dismantled and outgunned. Toronto is not going to be so forgiving. If Minnesota is going to win, the supporting cast has to hit shots.

#4 Ignite the Offense with Ball Movement

The Wolves offense is at its best when it’s generous. When Edwards and Randle play the dual role of scorers and facilitators, the whole floor opens up. The ball moves. The defense shifts. The shots get cleaner. The Wolves look like a real contender.

When it devolves into ISO ball, you can literally feel the offense stiffen. Yes, Ant can bail you out. That’s part of the fun. But the whole point of chasing the three seed is that you’re trying to be a team that doesn’t need late-game miracles against middle-tier opponents.

#5 Feed the “Three-Headed Monster” and Keep Jaden Involved

The Wolves’ ceiling isn’t just Ant + Randle. It’s Ant + Randle + Jaden McDaniels becoming a real, consistent third pillar.

McDaniels has been a strong contributor the past two games against Denver and Memphis. That can’t be a two-game blip. It needs to be a trend. When Jaden is engaged, cutting, attacking closeouts, hitting open threes, and finishing around the rim, the Wolves become a nightmare because now you’re dealing with three guys who can tilt the game.

While that matters for Wednesday, it matters even more big-picture. If Minnesota wants to be more than a “dangerous second-round team,” they need that third threat. They need the three-headed monster to show up consistently, not occasionally.

Ant and Randle have to make a point of it: get Jaden touches early. Let him feel involved. Let him build momentum. Because when he’s part of the offense, it unlocks everyone else.

Bank the Win

Toronto isn’t OKC. They’re not Denver. They’re not the kind of opponent you circle in red ink and treat like a playoff rehearsal. But that’s exactly why this game matters. These are the wins you bank. These are the nights you protect your home floor. These are the games that separate you from the play-in chaos and move you toward the three seed.

Minnesota has a four-game streak going. They’re tied in the standings with Houston. Denver is lurking. The margin is razor-thin. And the Wolves are about to head into a road trip that gets real, real fast.

So this is the assignment: Show up with urgency, defend like you mean it, use your size like a weapon, move the ball like a contender, and let your depth do what it’s supposed to do.

Because the three seed isn’t going to fall into Minnesota’s lap. Not in this West.

You want it? Great.

Beat the Raptors and take it.