Timberwolves use strong third quarter to top Raptors, 115-107, for fifth victory in a row

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Mar 5, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — The third quarter of the Timberwolves’ 115-107 victory over Toronto on Thursday at the Target Center was evidence that the type of team the Wolves thought they could be was still in there, lurking below the surface and perhaps gearing up for the stretch run.

The Wolves won the third quarter 35-22, and they took over the game with a stretch of defense that was reminiscent of the kind of lockdown, clamping kind of defense they played two seasons ago, when they had the top defense in the NBA.

Their offense was also humming in the second half, with six players reaching double figures. Anthony Edwards had 22 points overall and didn’t force the issue with only 12 shot attempts. Rudy Gobert was a force inside with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Julius Randle added 17 points and eight rebounds as the Wolves got contributions up and down the lineup. R.J. Barrett had 25 points to lead Toronto.

What it means

If there’s a team that can exploit the mental weaknesses the Wolves exhibit at times, it’s the Raptors. They play fast, they play physical, they play with a lot of effort — qualities that the Wolves don’t always bring on a nightly basis.

So the Raptors were a good litmus test of where the Wolves are in the final 20 games of the season. The Wolves passed for their fifth consecutive victory, but it was their best performance of those five. The Wolves are starting to play some of their best basketball of the season (finally) at the right time.

How it happened

The Wolves needed a few minutes to wake up at the start of this one; they got two delay-of-game calls in the first 2 minutes, 18 seconds and fell behind 15-5 to the fast-paced Raptors.

But the Wolves adjusted to the pace. Edwards had eight points on only three shots to bring them back, and the Wolves bench had a good end to the quarter that gave them a 31-27 lead. Kyle Anderson had three assists in his first four minutes on the floor.

The Raptors limited Edwards to only five shots in the first half; he didn’t score in the second quarter. Jaden McDaniels played only six first-half minutes because of foul trouble. That meant more minutes for Ayo Dosunmu, who was a plus-20 in a first half that the Wolves led 55-54 at the break. The Raptors kept it close thanks to 19 points off 11 Wolves turnovers.

The third belonged to the Wolves, specifically the stretch when the Wolves turned a 75-70 lead into an 86-70 advantage.

The Wolves turned defense into offense. They ran the floor, got points in transition and made high-effort plays on both ends of the floor; both Edwards and Naz Reid were shaken up momentarily with hard falls to the floor. They looked like a team ready for the postseason. Reid and Dosunmu hit 3s during the run to give the home team its largest lead of the night to that point.

Key stat

— One. Wolves turnovers in the second half. The Wolves had 11 in the first half but played clean, fast-paced basketball in the second, striking a good balance between playing careful and still with pace.