Who's Playing
Matchup: Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves
Records: Raptors (57-24); Timberwolves (36-44)
Where to Watch
Date: April 9
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: TSN
Radio: TSN 1050
Game Preview
The Raptors will finish off the regular in Minnesota as they take on the Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Toronto is locked into the second seed in the East, but a win or a Warriors’ loss could give them home-court advantage in every series except against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.
They also don’t know who their first-round opponents will be when the playoffs start on Saturday.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Nick Nurse manages minutes for game 82. Only Patrick McCaw has been ruled out with a thumb injury.
Tuesday also marks the first time Raptors fans get a look at Andrew Wiggins this season as he missed the only other game between the two teams earlier in the regular season with a quad injury.
The Timberwolves who will miss the playoffs have a 13.9% chance of landing the top overall pick in June’s NBA draft. They’ll close the season on Wednesday with a game against the Denver Nuggets.
Injury Report
Toronto – Patrick McCaw (out; thumb), Danny Green (probable; ankle)
Minnesota – Jeff Teague (out; foot), Derrick Rose (out; elbow), Robert Covington (out; knee), Jerryd Bayless (questionable; ankle), Taj Gibson (out; calf), Luol Deng (out; Achilles)
Game Notes
- Toronto tied the franchise record set in 2017-18 with their 25th road victory of the season Apr. 3 at Brooklyn. The Raptors have finished with a +.500 record on the road each of the last six seasons (2013-19).
- Prior to 2012-13, Toronto had never won more than 20 road games in a season.
- The Raptors (25-15) have the third-best road record in the NBA behind Golden State (26-13) and Milwaukee (27-14).
- Toronto has the second-best record in the NBA over the past four seasons, trailing only Golden State – BEST RECORD SINCE 2015-16: Golden State, 254-72 (.779); Toronto, 223-104 (.682); San Antonio, 222-105 (.679).
- The Raptors have scored at least 110 points in eight straight games (Mar. 24 - Apr. 7) tying a franchise record.
- Toronto is averaging 116.4 points while shooting .489 (341-697) from the field and .427 (120-281) from three-point range during this span.
- The Wolves are 29-20 when scoring 110+ points, 7-24 when scoring less than 110 points
Last Time They Played
Date: October 24, 2018
Score: Raptors 112, Timberwolves 105
Raptors: Kawhi Leonard — 35 points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks
Timberwolves: Jimmy Butler — 23 points, five assists, six steals
