MINNEAPOLIS _ For the Timberwolves offense, it was a too-familiar case of diminishing returns.
Saturday night at Target Center against the Toronto Raptors _ a game played by two teams that played elsewhere on Friday _ the Wolves started out hot but ended ... well, not.
Up after a quarter and again at the half, the Wolves allowed the Raptors _ a veteran team that continues to win in the post-Kawhi Leonard era _ to take control of the game in the third on the way to a 122-112 victory.
It was the third straight victory for the Raptors (28-14) and the fifth straight loss for the Wolves (15-27).
And this on a night when Andrew Wiggins had the first triple-double of his career _ and the 35th in franchise history _ with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists, when rookie Jarrett Culver had a career-high 26 points and with Karl-Anthony Towns back in the lineup for a second straight night. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Robert Covington (22) and Josh Okogie (12) were also in double figures.
The culprit, again: defense.
The Raptors shot 51.6% as a team. The starting backcourt of Fred VanVleet (29) and Kyle Lowry (28) combined for 57 points.
Up four at halftime, the Wolves were outscored 25-11 to start the third quarter, with Lowry leading the way, to take a 10-point lead. Up five after three quarters, the Raptors buried the Wolves in the fourth, starting the quarter 21-6 _ including one run of 19-1 _ to push the lead to 20 mid-way through the quarter.
In a first quarter without much defense, both teams shot around 60% and combined to score 71 points.
The Wolves hit 5 of 11 in the quarter, which ended with the Wolves up 39-32. Leading the way was Culver, who hit four of those five treys _ in just six attempts � to score 14 points in eight first-quarter minutes. Right behind was Wiggins, who was perfect in shooting and from the line while scoring 11.
The Wolves' lead was as big as nine in the quarter.
In the second quarter the Wolves cooled down a little bit, and their lead started melting away. It took a while, but with 2:57 left in the half Pascal Siakam hit two free throws to put the Raptors up 53-51. Lowry scored on successive Raptor possessions, the second time a drive that put the Wolves up 58-55 with 1:55 left in the half.
What followed was a rather 7-0 run.
Towns scored. At the other end Siakam was called for an offensive foul. Siakam and Raptors center Marc Gasol were called for successive technicals arguing the call, and Towns made one of two free throws.
On the ensuing possession Towns missed a 3, but Okogie got the rebound, got the ball to Wiggins, who was fouled and made both free throws with 40.5 seconds left to put the Wolves up two.
After a Raptors turnover, Covington missed two shots, then Culver was fouled while going for a rebound and he made both free throws to put the Wolves up 62-58 at the end of the half.
Things looked to be getting out of hand as the third quarter unfolded.
The Raptors outscored the Wolves 25-11 over the first 8:11 of the quarter, with Lowry scoring 14 of those points. The Wolves offense, so hot at the start of the game, had cooled.
The Raptors went up 83-73 with 3:44 left on two free throws by Lowry.
If Covington hadn't warmed up a bit, it could have been worse. But Covington hit 3-pointers on consecutive Wolves possessions as the Wolves finished the quarter on an 11-6 run, pulling within 89-84 entering the fourth.
