Look a little closer and the opponents explain some of those scores. Washington was again without AJ Dybantsa when Toronto won 112-102, and even shorthanded the Wizards won both middle quarters and cut the lead to 4 going into the 4th. Orlando was even thinner against Minnesota. The Magic were missing Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson, then lost Paolo Banchero to a sore right ankle during the game. Neither of these 2-0 starts has been tested yet.
The way they've won is what makes this one interesting. Minnesota broke Orlando open with a 29-15 3rd quarter, turning a 12-point halftime lead into 26 and making the 4th quarter irrelevant. Anthony Edwards was at the center of it. Toronto has been strong early and late: a 34-21 1st quarter in Washington, and a 31-25 4th quarter once the Wizards got close. If the Raptors start fast in Minneapolis, they'll get to see whether the Wolves can answer with the kind of 3rd-quarter run that buried Orlando.
So far Toronto has been the better team at closing out games, and Minnesota has been the better team at making them lopsided in the middle quarters. Both of those come from wins over thin rosters. Sunday is the first time either team plays someone at full strength who has also been winning, and one of them will leave Target Center 2-1.








