NBA: Anthony Edwards leads Timberwolves to dominant win over Raptors

Anthony Edwards scored 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 117-94 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.

LaMelo Ball finished with 15 points and eight assists for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row to start the season. Terrence Shannon Jr. also scored 15 points off the bench, and Jaden McDaniels recorded 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting.

Ja'Kobe Walter scored 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead Toronto, which sustained its first loss after starting the season with back-to-back wins. RJ Barrett added 20 points, and Immanuel Quickley scored 19. Scottie Barnes was 0-for-12, including 0-for-5 from distance, in 28 minutes.

Raptors star forward Kawhi Leonard was scratched before the game because of swelling in his left knee. The 35-year-old Leonard is averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals through two games in his return to Toronto.

Toronto trailed by 21-plus points throughout the fourth quarter.

Minnesota outscored Toronto 35-15 in the third quarter to grab a 90-62 advantage.

The Timberwolves opened the second half with a 22-6 run to grab a 77-53 edge midway through the third quarter. Ball started the run with a layup, and McDaniels added a three-point play less than a minute later.

Second-year big man Joan Beringer provided the scoring at the end of the run for Minnesota. He made an alley-oop dunk off a lob from Ball with 6:21 to go in the third quarter and then drained a pair of free throws to make it a 24-point lead with 5:46 left.

The Timberwolves jumped to an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Shannon converted a three-point play with 22 seconds remaining to secure the double-digit lead.

Minnesota opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to increase its lead to 17 points as McDaniels and Shannon buried back-to-back 3-pointers.

The Raptors finished the first half on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to eight points. Quickley hit a 3-pointer and Collin Murray-Boyles made a free throw to cap the first-half scoring.

-Field Level Media/Reuters