D'Angelo Russell scores 22 in debut, Wolves fall at Toronto 137-126
D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles the ball as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #4 of the Toronto Raptors defends during the first half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 10, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. ((Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - It didn’t result in a win, but the D’Angelo Russell era with the Minnesota Timberwolves is officially underway.
After missing Saturday’s 142-115 win over the L.A. Clippers with a quad injury, Russell made his Wolves debut Monday night as they were on the road in Toronto facing the Raptors, the defending NBA champions and one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Wolves lost to the Raptors, 137-126, to drop to 16-36 on the season.
Russell made his first four shots and scored 22 points, finishing 7-of-12 from the field. He shot 4-of-5 from three-point range, and added five assists. He also had six turnovers in 32 minutes. Russell is the 12th player in Wolves history to score at least 20 points in his first game with the team.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 23 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez each added 15 points. Minnesota led 75-74 at the half, but the Wolves were out-scored 32-19 in the third quarter and allowed 63 points in the second half in the loss.
Russell is expected to make his Wolves debut at Target Center Wednesday night as they host the Charlotte Hornets. Though he didn't play Saturday against the Clippers, he addressed fans in attendance before tip-off and thanked them for the support he's gotten so far in his short time in Minnesota.
Earlier Monday, Russell and Towns collectively bought 2,000 tickets for fans to attend Wednesday night’s game. They were all claimed within an hour.