Toronto @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2017 ) Toronto 109, Minnesota 112

The Toronto Raptors see themselves as possible Eastern Conference champions, and they aim to continue their strong play when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Toronto stands second in the East after winning eight of its last 11 games and outclassing longtime Western Conference stalwart San Antonio on Friday.

The Raptors are two games behind first-place Boston and four ahead of third-place Cleveland after recording a gritty 86-83 home victory over the Spurs. "I think we're on pace, on par," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters after Friday's triumph. "We don't have the championship yet, that's our goal. But we're building that type of structure. ... We're not on San Antonio's level yet, but we're getting there." Minnesota dropped its last two games to Orlando and Houston following a five-game winning streak, and Thursday's 116-98 loss to the Rockets concerned coach Tom Thibodeau. "Things can change very quickly in this league," he told reporters after the setback. "We've slipped, we've got to play with more of an edge, and we've got to bounce back. The games keep coming."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), FS North Plus (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (31-13): Kyle Lowry was back on his game with 24 points and made four 3-pointers against the Spurs after a two-game funk. Lowry suffered a brutal fall on his lower back and buttocks against Brooklyn on Jan. 8 and sat out the following three contests but went just 8-for-30 in his first two games back in the lineup before regaining his form against the Spurs. "Just being aggressive," he told reporters of his bounce-back effort. "It's that time of year when everyone is kind of hitting a little bit of a rut, a little bit of a lull. We've got to continue to get better and take the step on the journey to making us a better team."

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (29-18): The trio of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins draw the accolades for Minnesota's rise, but veteran Taj Gibson also has played a huge part in the success. Gibson (12 points, career-best 7.6 rebounds) played under Thibodeau in Chicago, so he deeply understands what his role is under the stern taskmaster. "My thing is that I'm the guy that picks the pieces up," Gibson told reporters. "I'm that one guy that always connects with everybody, even when things king of get disorganized, and I'm the guy that has pushed aside all my own values, all my own little goals I want to have, just for the sake of the team. I'm going to do whatever it takes."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Raptors have won 22 of the last 25 meetings, but Minnesota captured the most recent matchup - 112-109 on Feb. 28, 2017.

2. Towns leads the NBA with 39 double-doubles and has a current streak of 11 straight.

3. Toronto backup PG Fred VanVleet (knee) likely will miss his third straight game.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 105, Raptors 103