D’Angelo Russell hurt the Raptors!
Although deprived of their “Twin Towers”, the Wolves signed a 7th victory in ten matches, and it was one of the best of their season as they got it back-to-back, after erasing a deficit of 14 score in the last quarter. Facing the ever relentless Raptors, D’Angelo Russell was the hero of the night with 16 of his 25 points scored in the 4th quarter.
On the road in the first half, at the point of being up to 18 points behind, Wolves first equalized thanks to Anthony Edwards, then the important Kyle Anderson who gave them the advantage 90 seconds from the end. Imperial in the final quarter, Scottie Barnes dunked to equalize. There is one minute left to play. Russell lost the ball, but OG Anunoby missed his go-ahead 3-pointer.
New opportunity for D’Angelo Russell prompting Fred VanVleet’s offense away from the circle. He put in his throws to regain control (128-126).
The Raptors had nine seconds to tie, and it was OG Anunoby again, who missed his 3-pointer in the corner. The rebound battle ends in confusion, and the Wolves are caught in the heist of the night.
WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER
– The defense of Wolves. The Raptors only scored two points in the last six minutes, and seven points in the last ten minutes! However deprived of Rudy Gobert, Chris Finch’s troops won this battle on defense, and will keep the defense on the ball of Anthony Edwards, notably Pascal Siakam, but also cover the second curtain of Jaden McDaniels.
– A deserted racket. Without Rudy Gobert, the Raptors insisted on the racket with Fred VanVleet in the “drill” role. They scored 62 points on the racket, and their first half was one-sided: 74 points on 59% of the shots.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅D’Angelo Russell. He is often cold-blooded in big moments, and he signed a perfect 4th quarter with composure on two winning shots.
✅Kyle Anderson. He is more and more comfortable in the game, and more than a “glue guy”, he is a facilitator. Once he has the ball in his hands, everything becomes simpler and more fluid in the Wolves game. A complete game: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists on 8 of 9 shots.
✅Jaden McDaniels. This is Kyle Anderson’s defensive counterpart, and it deserves the “3&D” label. He will take care of everything, and his big counter with Scottie Barnes in “money time” will be decisive. As a bonus, it hurts from distance: 4 of 7 from 3-pointers.
✅Scottie Barnes. He could be the hero of the night with 12 of his 29 points scored in the final quarter. The only try to respond to Wolves’ comeback.
✅Fred VanVleet. For 40 minutes, he dominates debates with his accuracy and aggressiveness.
⛔Pascal Siakam. A typical game for the Raptors leader, with a few forced shots down the stretch.
THE FOLLOWING
Minnesota (23-24) : receiving the Rockets on Saturday.
Toronto (20-26) : Celtics reception on Saturday.
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