Raptors keep insane home winning streak vs. Timberwolves alive

Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors were gearing up for a perfect trap game at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not only was the Rudy Gobert-led team coming off a very emotional game against the Bulls the night before, but they had just lost star guard Anthony Edwards to an ankle injury.

Both sides had opportunities to flex their muscles in the first half. Gobert was using his endless wingspan to dominate the paint, while VanVleet put up a ridiculous 22 points by taking it to Minnesota every time he got the ball. Pair that with Jakob Poeltl being effective down low, and Toronto was leading at halftime.

The Raptors managed to lose their grip on this game a few times, but the starters managed to keep things steady in the fourth quarter and lead Toronto to a 122-107 victory. Not only did the Raptors keep moving up the standings and win their third in a row, but they extended one of the league’s most improbable winning streaks.

The Timberwolves have now lost 18 consecutive road games in Toronto, extending a streak that is so long that it began when Kevin Garnett was competing for MVPs and Gary Trent Sr. (!!) came off the bench for Minnesota. That level of consistency is ridiculous, and this year’s Raptors did well to avoid being the unlucky team that blows it.

The Toronto Raptors keep dominating the Timberwolves in Toronto.

VanVleet and Poeltl weren’t the only ones who had a solid evening. OG Anunoby came alive with 13 second-quarter points to help continue what has been a very hot streak for him, and Pascal Siakam was back to his usual box-score-stuffing self after a few games in which his efficiency dipped.

On one hand, the streak is not surprising. With the Raptors an omnipotent playoff presence and the Timberwolves having picked in the lottery quite often in the last few decades, it makes sense that Toronto has such a gnarly home court advantage. Still, the fact that neither Garnett nor Kevin Love could snap that streak is interesting.

Toronto needed a win in this game, as the schedule is only going to get more difficult from here on out. On top of the fact that Toronto will take on Milwaukee immediately after this contest, the Raptors have another matchup against the 76ers and two road dates against the Celtics.

In a very tough Eastern Conference playoff race, Toronto will take any victory they can get. Minnesota may have made for a better opponent at full strength, but the Raptors won’t complain about stretching their ridiculously-long streak of dominance over that franchise.