The Clippers take on the Timberwolves in their 5th game of the season and their first game in NBA Cup play.
Game Information
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
When: 5:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kobe Sanders – Isaiah Jackson
Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball – Ayo Dosunmu – Jonathan Kuminga – Jaden McDaniels – Rudy Gober
Injuries
Clippers: Rui Hachimura Questionable (Quad), Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards Out (Knee), Donte DiVincenzo Out (Achilles),
Prior Game Notes
While the Clippers were 1-2 heading into Wednesday night’s game, both of their losses were close and relatively inspired, so fans were feeling pretty good early on. The Clippers, as they so often do, proceeded to promptly ruin the vibes by putting out a real stinker, trailing most of the way to a Lakers team missing Luka Doncic and giving the ball away seemingly every other trip down the court. Keaton Wagler and Baba Miller had moments, and Derrick Jones Jr. played well, but basically all other Clippers were either bad or invisible in what turned out to be a deflating defeat. I don’t think there’s much to take away from the game Xs and Os wise; the Clippers just need to be much sharper with ballhandling and passes to limit their turnovers.
The Antagonist
The Wolves got off to a rollicking 3-0 start to their season before losing their last two games. In much worse news, superstar Anthony Edwards had to have a minor knee procedure that will likely keep him out for two months. The Wolves are a good team and the presence of LaMelo Ball should help keep their offense afloat, but Ant’s incredible scoring and on-ball defense aren’t readily filled by anyone else on the roster. Rudy Gobert has also come out of the gates a bit slow, and if he’s taken a step back as he enters his mid-30s, the Wolves could be in some trouble. For the time being, Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland, and Terrance Shannon Jr will pick up some slack, and the Wolves will probably remain solid enough.
Notes
NBA Cup Starts: The NBA Cup kicks off tonight to some fanfare. There are fans who really care about the Cup, some fans that are indifferent, and others that hate it. I’m mostly in the indifferent category, but I’m open to the Cup becoming a thing – and it would be nice if the Clippers won something! The Clippers are in West Group B, alongside the Wolves, Thunder, Grizzlies, and Pelicans. All said it’s not the worst group, especially considering Anthony Edwards’ injury and all of the Thunder’s injuries. However, the Grizzlies have looked great to start the year, so even if the Thunder and Wolves are worse than normal the Clippers still have three tough games. It usually takes a 3-1 record to advance out of the group stage, which will be a difficult path for the Clippers, but hey, stranger things have happened.
Darius Garland Struggling: After a terrific first game against the Kings, Darius Garland has been dreadful the last three outings. In those contests Garland is averaging under 19 points a game while shooting 41.6% from the field and 33% from three. The scoring efficiency is the least of the issues though, as Garland has turned the ball over an insane 20 times in those three games, with many of them being sloppy and completely unforced. Garland is going to be a negative on defense and on the glass (he’s been even worse than I feared on both counts), so in order to be impactful he needs to be incredible on offense. Suffice to say he has been far from that outside of the Kings game. Not everything is on Garland – he’s overburdened without much help – but the sloppy turnovers and the poor shot choices need to be fixed sooner than later if the Clippers are going to have any chance to win games.
