The Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves meet Sunday at Target Center with both teams carrying 2-0 records into the matchup. This Raptors vs Timberwolves preview comes early in the 2026-27 season, but it still pits two of the league’s hottest starts against each other, with Toronto sitting atop the Atlantic Standings and Minnesota leading the Northwest. The game marks the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
Raptors Vs. Timberwolves Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV/Streaming: NBA TV, DAZN MIN
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Raptors Outlook
Toronto is 2-0 and has won two straight after a three-game stretch that included two losses, most recently beating the Chicago Bulls 135-92 and the Washington Wizards 112-102. Scottie Barnes leads the team at 25.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, with Immanuel Quickley averaging 6.5 assists.
The Raptors are shooting 80.6% from the free throw line, a figure that stands out next to their 26.2% clip from three-point range. Toronto’s defense has generated 13.5 steals and 6.0 blocks per game, both ahead of Minnesota’s marks of 9.5 and 3.0. Center Nate Bittle is out with a right foot fracture and is not expected back until Oct. 28, according to the official injury report. Jamal Shead, who recently signed a three-year, $24 million extension with Toronto, is listed among the team’s rotation pieces at point guard.
Timberwolves Outlook
Minnesota also enters at 2-0, winning its last two games against the Miami Heat (131-106) and Orlando Magic (115-93) after dropping back-to-back road games to Detroit and Chicago earlier in October. Anthony Edwards is averaging 30.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game, while Rudy Gobert leads the team with 12.0 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu paces Minnesota in assists at 6.5 per game.
The Timberwolves have shot 40.2% from three-point range as a team, far ahead of Toronto’s mark, and their 44.9% overall field goal percentage edges the Raptors by seven-tenths of a point. Guard Donte DiVincenzo is out following right leg Achilles surgery, with a return date listed as April 2, 2027, according to the official injury report.
Key Matchup
Minnesota’s three-point shooting against Toronto’s perimeter defense is the matchup to watch. The Timberwolves have knocked down 40.2% of their threes as a team, while the Raptors have forced 13.5 steals per game, the highest mark in this matchup by a wide margin over Minnesota’s 9.5. If Toronto’s perimeter pressure disrupts Minnesota’s ball movement, which has produced 26.5 assists per game, the Timberwolves’ shooting numbers could take a hit. Conversely, Anthony Edwards’ 30.0-point scoring average gives Minnesota a shot creator who does not need to rely on the pass to produce efficient looks.
On the other end, Scottie Barnes and the Raptors will look to exploit the paint, where Toronto owns a rebounding and shot-blocking edge with 6.0 blocks per game to Minnesota’s 3.0, even though Gobert’s 12.0 rebounds per game anchor the Timberwolves’ interior.
What To Watch
Both teams own identical 2-0 records and sit at the top of their respective divisions, Toronto in the Atlantic and Minnesota in the Northwest, making this an early measuring-stick game between two teams still searching for consistency after mixed results over their first five games. Toronto has alternated between blowout wins and tight losses this season, while Minnesota has shown the same volatility, including a 133-116 loss to Chicago sandwiched between two wins by at least 15 points. A win Sunday would give either team a 3-0 start and sole possession of the best record in its division through the early weeks of the season.
Toronto’s next matchup after Minnesota follows its recent slate that included wins over the Washington Wizards and Bulls, continuing a stretch that will test the Raptors’ depth beyond Barnes and Quickley.
More NBA news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
