As the Toronto Raptors prepare to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, we look at three factors which could decide the outcome at the Air Canada Centre.
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After a minor blip, the Toronto Raptors are back on track, with successive wins. The Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks may not be the most formidable of opponents, but they still represented two important victories.
Despite only being three games out of top spot, the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely remain just out of reach. However, the Raptors are firmly positioned to hold onto the second seed, with the next challenge coming from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This will be the second of two meetings between the sides this season, with Minnesota winning the first game earlier this month. We look at three keys, which will help determine if Toronto can avoid the series sweep.
1) Jonas Valanciunas vs Karl-Anthony Towns
Since joining the NBA, each year has seen steady progress by Jonas Valanciunas. Still only 23, this season he is currently on course for career-highs in points and rebounds.
However, despite his recent season-high 25 points against the Chicago Bulls, along with 12 boards, Valanciunas still struggles for consistency. Mind you, even if he is on form against Minnesota, he will likely still have his hands full with Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Timberwolves centre seems certain to win rookie of the year, leading the team in boards and ranking second in scoring. The Raptors will do well to remember Towns had a game-high 35 points and 11 rebounds, the last time the two sides clashed.
2) Andrew Wiggins
As you can imagine, there’s always a lot of interest, whenever the Raptors face Andrew Wiggins. That’s what happens when the first overall pick of the 2014 draft hails from Toronto.
Wiggins is enjoying a fine sophomore campaign, leading Minnesota with 20.7 points per game. Interestingly, he has also increased his shooting percentage and trips to the free-throw line, despite seeing less playing time than last season.
The 21-year old has so far averaged 22 points in three career games against the Raptors, including 26 the last time they met. Along with Towns, he will need to be contained, otherwise Toronto will once again be looking at a loss.
3) There’s no place like home
There’s few arenas in the NBA with a better home atmosphere than the Air Canada Centre, especially when the Raptors are winning. Experienced veterans like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett said pretty much the same thing, during the playoff match-up with the Nets a couple of seasons ago.
Toronto currently has the fourth-best home record in the NBA, at 19-6. It also helps when the team is selling out every night.
Further adding to the advantage for this game, Sam Mitchell‘s men are just 8-19 on the road. Everything appears to be in place for the Raptors to win their 12th straight home game against the Timberwolves.
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What do you expect from the Raptors against the Timberwolves? Let us know in the comments section below.