Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today\u2019s contest between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors.<\/p>\n
There are a few constants in your life if you\u2019re a Toronto sports fan:<\/p>\n
The best place to be in the summer is at the Rogers Centre watching a Jays game.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll never be able to afford lower-bowl Leafs tickets.<\/p>\n
The Raptors will beat the Timberwolves when they visit Scotiabank Arena.<\/p>\n
What do I mean by that last point? Well, it\u2019s exactly what it says on the page. Minnesota has not travelled to Toronto and beaten the Raptors since all the way back in 2004. For some context, Timberwolves\u2019 point guard Rob Dillingham was not alive the last time his franchise won in Canada. There is a slight asterisk \u2014 Minnesota won on the road against Toronto in 2020-21 when the team was forced to play its \u201chome\u201d games in Tampa \u2014 but that\u2019s it. It\u2019s been one-sided dominance for over two decades.<\/p>\n
Will the streak continue on Wednesday evening? Let\u2019s preview this tilt with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Timberwolves at Raptors prediction, preview<\/p>\n
There are a couple massive injury notes we have to discuss at the top of this preview, as both Anthony Edwards (elbow) and Julius Randle (thumb) are questionable to suit up in tonight\u2019s contest. To suggest that either absence would leave a hole in the Timberwolves\u2019 rotation would be a massive understatement. Edwards and Randle are the only two men on this roster currently averaging more than 16.0 points per contest. Edwards and Randle also sit first and second on the team in usage rate by a mile, with the former checking in at a whopping 31.6%. Both were available for Monday\u2019s loss to the Grizzlies, with each logging roughly 40 minutes of action. Heck, Edwards scored 39 points in the defeat. They\u2019re pretty good!<\/p>\n
The other thing to consider when looking at Minnesota\u2019s player pool on Wednesday is yesterday\u2019s trade of Mike Conley. The veteran was no longer starting for the Timberwolves, yet Conley was still averaging 18.5 minutes per game in 2025-26, acting as a facilitator in the second unit for a team that is lacking in prototypical point guards. In fact, it\u2019s the aforementioned Randle that leads all Minnesota starters in assist rate (24.7%), which again highlights just how important he and Edwards are to the operation of this offense. With the duo off the floor this season, Rob Dillingham and Naz Reid lead the squad in usage at 28.8% and 27.1%, respectively.<\/p>\n
Toronto\u2019s side of things is much healthier \u2014 aside from the constant presence of Jakob Poeltl (back) on the injury report. That said, things have not exactly been sunshine and rainbows as of late for the four-seed in the Eastern Conference. Last Wednesday, the Raptors were outscored 72-41 in the second half of a loss to the Knicks, then two days later, Toronto blew a 13-point fourth quarter lead against the Magic. The team did rebound with a 107-100 victory over the Jazz on Sunday, yet the Raptors shot just 41.7% from the field that night and committed 19 turnovers. Not exactly an overwhelming offensive performance.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t a new trend, either. Across its past 14 contests, Toronto is producing a paltry 111.9 points per 100 possessions \u2014 a mark that places them in the lower-third of the NBA. That\u2019s also a span of time that is significantly buoyed by an outlier 145-point outburst in Golden State. For the season as a whole, the Raptors\u2019 34.0% figure from beyond the arc is the worst shooting percentage in the East. Even with Brandon Ingram\u2019s elite ability to score and create in the mid-range, this is simply a flawed offensive team. If that wasn\u2019t apparent before, it is now obvious after registering a 102.9 offensive rating, at home, versus the league\u2019s worst defensive team in Utah.<\/p>\n
Timberwolves at Raptors pick, best bet<\/p>\n