Balanced scoring the key in Raptors comeback victory over Timberwolves

Rudi Schuller

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Balanced scoring the key in Raptors comeback victory over Timberwolves image

On Jan. 20, Toronto Raptors scored 109 points and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ten days later, the Raptors put up the same number of points against the Timberwolves — and won.

Toronto defeated Minnesota 109-104 on Tuesday at Air Canada Centre in a game that at one point looked like it could get away from the home team. A second-half comeback led to the victory, with DeMar DeRozan scoring 23 points while Jonas Valanciunas, Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, Jakob Poeltl and Fred VanVleet also reached double-digit figures in the winning effort.

Toronto moves to 34-15 on the season, while Minnesota falls to 32-22.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's contest:

Sluggish first half

Toronto came out to a slow start against a Minnesota team on the tail end of a back-to-back, with the Raptors trailing by 14 points at one point in the second quarter.

Struggles from the field allowed the Timberwolves to jump out to the big lead, but the workmanlike efforts of Ibaka and Lowry allowed the Raptors to claw back to within six by halftime.

Ibaka led Toronto scorers with 13 points in the first 24 minutes, while a late surge by Lowry — including a pair of triples late in the half — gave the point guard 10 points at the break.

Mr. Second Half

Even when he's struggling, DeRozan is still the main man for Toronto's offence.

After putting up just four points in the opening half, the 28-year-old All-Star had a typically big final 24 minutes to lead the Raptors to the comeback victory. DeRozan tallied 19 points over the final two quarters, and also managed to keep his passing game consistent throughout the contest as he finished with eight assists on the night.

While he hasn't been offensively dominant over the past several games, DeRozan continues to prove his importance to the second-best team in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Fast Freddy

VanVleet has been the spark plug for the Raptors in recent weeks. Following Sunday's 25-point performance, the second-year guard put in another standout shift on Tuesday.

While not nearly as prolific scoring-wise as he was on the weekend, the 23-year-old still managed to provide a big boost off the bench. VanVleet notched 10 points, two assists and a pair of rebounds in just over 21 minutes of work, but he also played some outstanding defence down the stretch that helped Toronto protect the lead.

VanVleet's energy and toughness has been a lot for opponents to handle of late, and the Raptors have benefited.

Rudi Schuller