The Clippers are traveling from sunny California to frigid Minnesota and will face a corresponding scale-up in level of opponent compared to the hapless Kings.
Game Information
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: 12:00 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez
Wolves: Donte DiVincenzo – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Julius Randle – Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bennedict Mathurin Out (Trade), Isaiah Jackson Out (Trade), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)
Wolves: Terrence Shannon Jr. Questionable (Foot), Ayo Dosunmu Questionable (Trade), Julian Phillips Questionable (Trade)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are coming off a win on Friday night against the Kings that was not as easy as one might think. The shorthanded Clippers largely struggled on offense, particularly in the first half, before putting the Kings away down the stretch. They are still going to be without several key players in this one, and are facing a much, much tougher opponent in the Timberwolves. Kawhi Leonard and John Collins are playing great and will need to be on point against a Wolves team that plays two big men at nearly all times. The good news is that Kris Dunn has historically been one of the best Anthony Edwards defenders in the NBA, and if he continues that trend tonight the Clippers should have a real chance at pulling off the upset.
The Antagonist
The Wolves have had a rollercoaster of a season, mixing together stretches of dominance with some utterly baffling losses. They had one of those defeats on Friday, prompting Rudy Gobert to call out the team’s effort – and more specifically, the effort of the leaders (Julius Randle and Edwards). The Wolves’ coach, Chris Finch, pushed back on that criticism on Saturday, which probably didn’t make Rudy happy. In short, despite having a very good record and underlying metrics, there are some bad vibes and interpersonal tensions. Still, the Wolves might have their new pieces ready for action, and are just a much more talented team than the Clippers at this point.
Notes
Kobe Converted: Yesterday, news broke that the Clippers had converted Kobe Sanders’ contract from a two-way deal to a full minimum contract with a team option for next season. Outside of rewarding Kobe for his play by giving him more money, the Clippers will be able to keep playing Kobe (he was near the end of his limit for games played as a two-way guy) going forward. It’s nice to see this for Kobe, who has had ups-and-downs but has been quite reliable in general for a late second-round rookie. Hopefully he can keep up his play as the second half of the season progresses.
