The LA Clippers scraped their way to a huge win in Minnesota, beating the Timberwolves by one. Check out how it went down below.

Update to our preview: Ivica Zubac did play, and start, but only played 19 minutes.

Summary

The Clippers looked listless to start the game, only scoring 18 points to the Timberwolves’ 30 in the first quarter. The deficit was as big as 16, but the Clippers started to wake up as the quarter ended thanks to nine quick points from Norm Powell.

LA’s momentum continued from there, as the Clippers and Timberwolves switched places in the second quarter. The Clippers put up 31 points in the second to the Timberwolves’ 16. Norm added six more to his tally and Kawhi was up to 15 points at the half.

From there, the game was extremely close. There were 12 lead changes and four ties in the second half. The Clippers hit just enough shots to close it out, although barely. Paul George finally made a few, but it was mostly Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell who carried the Clippers all game. James Harden, who went 0/10 from the field, only added four free throws to the Clippers’ 89 points. (To be fair, though, he did have 10 assists.)

The Clippers also got some help from Karl Anthony-Towns, who at one point missed 10 straight shots. To be fair, though, the Clippers’ defense was pretty good after the first quarter. The defensive rotations were a little sharper and the team rebounding was good enough, understanding that Gobert and Anthony-Towns are going to out-rebound the Clippers almost no matter what.

Notes

Rotation Update: James Harden typically plays the first six minutes of the first quarter and then is relieved by Russell Westbrook. Today, Harden played the first nine minutes of the first, and Bones Hyland—the new second unit point guard—only got two and a half minutes in the first frame. The substitution pattern was roughly the same in the third quarter as well.

Another notable update was Mason Plumlee getting a DNP-CD. Although Zubac was on a minutes restriction, Theis played all of the backup center minutes. In fact, Theis played the last 16 minutes of the game.

Bones only ended up playing 14 minutes, while Amir Coffey and Terance Mann played 25 and 19 respectively (which is the reverse of what they usually play). Kawhi (38 minutes) was the only other player whose minutes were meaningfully different, as he played four more than usual.

In sum, it is still not clear how Ty Lue plans to replace all of Westbrook’s 22 minutes per game. Bones absorbed 14 of them and Kawhi played a little more. But it does seem like we have a new pattern to track: Harden playing a longer first shift; the Clippers moving forward with just two centers; and no PJ Tucker.

Medals: As readers know, our Podcast likes to give our medals after wins. Below are mine. Let us know your medal stand in the comments.

Gold: Norman Powell. He sparked the early comeback, hit big shots throughout the game, and gave us a highlight dunk on a fast break (although I thought he broke his arm on that play).

Silver: Kawhi Leonard. He led the team in scoring, contributed on defense and on the boards, and played 38 minutes.

Bronze: Daniel Theis. He missed a bunch of open shots and failed to protect the rim on multiple occasions, but he battled on the boards (13 total), played the final 16 minutes of the game, and was +14.

Clippers win rock fight in Minnesota, 89-88
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers are walking into a heavyweight battle on Sunday, taking on the Western Conference’s top team. If the Clippers want to finish the season as a top seed, they need to give the Timberwolves a home loss.

Game Info

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: 12:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Terance Mann – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Daniel Theis

Timberwolves: Mike Conley, Jr. – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Karl-Anthony Towns – Rudy Gobert

Injuries

Clippers: Russell Westbrook, Out (Hand); Ivica Zubac, Questionable (Illness); Paul George, Probable (Knee)

Timberwolves: Kyle Anderson, Day-to-Day (Knee); Anthony Edwards, Probable (Personal Reasons); Jaylen Clark, Out (Achilles)

The Big Picture

This is a massively important game. The Clippers are currently two losses behind the Timberwolves in the Western Conference standings, and play them twice in the next 10 days. If the Clippers want to finish as a top-three seed, they must take at least one of these games—and probably both. Losing both would not guarantee that the Clippers slip down below the fourth seed, but that would be a serious risk, with the Suns playing better as of late.

The Clippers will also be learning on the fly in this game. With Russell Westbrook out, Ty Lue will have to figure out how to integrate Bones into the rotation. The Clippers will have to lean on their top end talent—Kawhi, PG, and Harden—while also trying out a few tricks. I would not be surprised if we see Lue test out PJ Tucker on the T’Wolves bigs and generally go small to counter Gobert, as we have seen before.

The Antagonist

The Timberwolves are not a good match up for the Clippers, especially if Zubac is unavailable or limited due to his illness. Through their first two meetings, the T’Wolves have out-rebounded the Clippers by 12 and have dominated the Clippers in the paint, outscoring the Clippers by 30. Moreover, the Clippers have often had Paul George guard Anthony-Towns, which might be a problem given that PG is still dealing with his knee injury. Finally, replacing Westbrook with Bones means an easier path to the basket for Anthony Edwards.

Footnote

More on Bones: Bones Hyland will get his chance, with Westbrook out. But, as the crew discussed on the podcast, Terance Mann and Amir Coffey will likely see their minutes increase as well because Bones can be a defensive liability. That said, I hope Bones gets an opportunity to play more than 15 minutes per game (for reference, Westbrook has averaged 22.6 mpg this season). While Russell has been an asset on defense and doing the “little things,” he is still a negative spacer. Bones can shoot from the outside and the really outside. Hopefully, this could create more space for PG and Kawhi as they work in the post and in the lane.

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Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Western Conference Battle
Kenneth Armstrong

The LA Clippers (33-31) dropped their third straight Tuesday night, falling flat at home to the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves (32-32), 108-101. Paul George led the Clippers with 25 points (10-21 FG, 3-8 3PT, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jaden McDaniels was the standout performer in what was a well-rounded effort from the Wolves, putting up a team-high 20 points (8-12 FG, 2-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) and six rebounds. Read on for our full recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Timberwolves.

Summary

Tonight’s game officially marked the beginning of the Russell Westbrook and Ivica Zubac partnership and their production quickly became the story of the first quarter. In what was a dynamite offensive start for the Clippers, getting absolutely every look they wanted, the starters were loving life with Big Zu back. Zubac was just about everywhere, more than holding his own against Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley’s actions. Russell Westbrook continued his promising play, routinely pushing the pace and finding guys on quality looks to the tune of five assists: a number that could’ve easily been higher if the guys he hit capitalized or weren’t fouled. Paul George was also engaged out of the gates and would’ve already been in double-digit scoring if not for missing a pair at the charity stripe. Despite leading by as much as 12, some late Minnesota bench threes and three open triples left on the table by Marcus Morris Sr. tamed what was an entertaining quarter from LAC. After one, the Clippers held a 33-26 lead.

While the Clippers executed at a high level in the first quarter, they stumbled repeatedly throughout the second as the Timberwolves made it clear that this would not be a blowout. By way of seven turnovers (three by Mason Plumlee), nonexistent whistles for PG and Norman Powell, and a 10-point quarter from Rudy Gobert, the Clippers found themselves in the midst of three lead changes and two ties in the period. The main takeaway from the quarter was that Tyronn Lue doled out two new small lineups—Russ-Eric Gordon-Terance Mann-PG-Kawhi and Russ-EG-PG-Kawhi-Mook—that simply did not look good, particularly because of the lack of foot speed and physicality. Heading back to the locker rooms, the Timberwolves led 58-56.

Spearheaded by a Norman Powell technical foul-turnover 2-in-1 after another no-call trainwreck drive, the Clippers hit what felt like rock bottom since returning from the All-Star break. Despite Kawhi playing the entire frame, the Clippers lost the third 19-28 on the backs of nine turnovers and a lukewarm 39% shooting from the field. Morris Sr. traveled while trying to work Taurean Price in the post with PG and Kawhi on the floor watching. Russ bricked a transition 3 that led to Prince extending the Wolves’ lead to nine with a triple of his own. Plumlee picked up his third turnover of the game trying to get fancy with the ball in front of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Minnesota, as advertised, actually had seven giveaways of their own in the third as well, but the overall disorganized, disconnected effort of LAC stole the show. Through three, the Timberwolves led 86-75.

The third quarter was only a sign of things to come for the Clippers as Minnesota held them off the rest of the way. Norm came to life to start, accounting for the Clippers’ first 11 points of the period in the opening five minutes. But, with the deficit hovering at around six from the 9:16 mark, LAC was simply unable to string together the necessary stops to claw all the way back — a back-and-forth affair that was abruptly interrupted by the Wolves’ knockout punch. Down four with under 30 seconds left to play, Kyle Anderson backdoored Kawhi before ping-ponging a pass to a cutting Rudy Gobert for a dagger dunk.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• Mo Players, Mo Problems: The Clippers are still far, far away from where they need to be. Ten different Clippers played in this one, predictably excluding Bones Hyland and Robert Covington, and it didn’t take anything special from the opposition to come in and take them down at home at full strength. There aren’t really any silver linings to take away from this one. No otherworldly play from the 213-duo, no free chicken for those in DTLA and no birthday win for Chuck the Condor. After a nice start, the Clippers’ execution deteriorated as the game wore on. The growing pains with trying new lineups, minutes drastically shifting hands and simply trying to fit with each other, saw LAC cough up the ball 24 times as Minnesota worked their way out of the deficit and into a heist of win.
• Zu-Back: Fittingly enough, Ivica Zubac was the lone Clipper with a positive plus-minus tonight. In his first game back, Zu showed the Clippers everything they were missing the last two games, perfect screens, another rebounder, an elite rim protector and someone who routinely covers up mistakes on the defensive end. Proving his worth once again as a true star in his role, tonight showed that unfortunately, the Clippers’ problems are greater than one player to come in and fix.
• Senior Suspect: There was already a tough dialogue surrounding Marcus Morris Sr.’s role on the team, and he did himself no favors in this one. Despite playing just 21 minutes, which was still about as much as Nicolas Batum and Terance Mann saw tonight, Morris Sr. looked unplayable once again. Missing open threes, constantly being a step slow on defense and lacking confidence on both ends of the floor, it really feels like something has to give with Senior after this one.
• Russ-ting Away: For those curious about Russell Westbrook’s individual play, he was once again fine for the most part. Like the Clippers, he too played worse as the game went on, particularly taking some bad jumpers in the second and third quarters that were reminiscent of his last stint. Lue did pull him in the third after one of those said jumpers but then decided to close with him, which just feels like a tremendous coin flip. In the closing minutes, we saw that on full display with him collecting an Anthony Edwards fumble and taking it coast-to-coast before losing control of the ball himself under the other rim. Then, after being baited into a post-up fadeaway miss over Mike Conley, Westbrook sank a huge 3 off a rebound to keep the Clippers close. The man is making good plays happen, but the chaos created by his arrival has been a double-edged sword that truly makes you wonder if the Clippers will just run out of time figuring it out.

Up Next: The Clippers begin a crucial back-to-back set on the road against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m. PT.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Recap: 24 Turnovers Sink LAC
Ralston Dacanay

The LA Clippers (33-30) look to bounce back at home against the skidding Minnesota Timberwolves (31-32) Tuesday night. Read on for our full preview of the Clippers’ game against the Timberwolves.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
When: 7 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: TNT, Bally Sports SoCal, ClipperVision, AM 570 KLAC, KTMZ

Projected Starting Lineups
LA Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac

Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Conley – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Kyle Anderson – Rudy Gobert

Injury Report
LA Clippers: Brandon Boston Jr. – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Jason Preston – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Ivica Zubac – QUESTIONABLE (Right Calf Strain)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert – PROBABLE (Illness), Wendell Moore Jr. – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Jaylen Nowell – QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Tendinopathy), Karl-Anthony Towns – OUT (Right Calf Strain)

Update: The Clippers have upgraded Ivica Zubac (Right Calf Strain) to AVAILABLE.
Update No. 2: The Timberwolves have upgraded Rudy Gobert (Illness) to AVAILABLE and downgraded Jaylen Nowell (Left Knee Tendinopathy) to OUT.

The Big Picture

It’s been a rough stretch for the Clippers since the All-Star break, having dropped two nail-bitters in a row against teams directly above them in the Western Conference standings. Aside from the results simply not falling their way, the ways in which LAC lost — 175-176 vs. Sacramento and 124-134 at Denver — have been especially frustrating to watch. Regardless of how high or low you were on the addition of Russell Westbrook to the Clippers, it appears a dilemma has re-emerged that was a direct ripple effect from the signing: Tyronn Lue’s tinkering process. The Clippers are back to playing with a lot of flash and having little to show for it. Back to being competitive with the league’s best but lacking serious execution to put them away. Typically, losing close games to elite teams in the middle of the regular season shouldn’t be much to lose sleep about. But, with the Clippers remaining a shoulder’s distance away from leaving their fate in the hands of the Play-In Tournament for the second year in a row, there’s just no room to relax.

The Clippers, now 11-24 this season against teams .500 or better, once again appear to be too deep for their own good. Lue has gone back to the drawing board to figure out who to call on at the right times, and a lot of the guys seem to be struggling with finding their rhythm. It’s also worth mentioning that part of the issue has been health-related, with the absence of Ivica Zubac causing the Clips to hemorrhage points inside, and the precautionary minutes restriction of Paul George muddying up line changes as well. Ultimately, it appears the Clippers still have a puncher’s chance of finishing with homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Despite what has been a rocky showing so far this season from Ty Lue, the Clippers’ front office and locker room have put their faith in him to put the puzzle together once more — decisions needing to be made in a hurry that will make or break their season.

The Antagonist

With the regular-season series split 1-1 and the tiebreaker on the line, the Minnesota Timberwolves return to Downtown LA in hopes of ending their own losing skid. After fumbling down the stretch at home to the Washington Wizards heading into the break, the Wolves opened up their play with equally disappointing losses to the Charlotte Hornets and the Golden State Warriors (without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins).

The narrative following the Wolves as of late has been the lack of offensive firepower surrounding first-time All-Star Anthony Edwards, particularly after swapping D’Angelo Russell’s shotmaking for Mike Conley’s playmaking. Take away Karl-Anthony Towns’ 20.8 points per game and Russell’s 17.9 ppg, and the next highest scorer on average following Edwards is Rudy Gobert at 13.4 ppg. Ant-Man, who’s averaging a team-best 24.7 points per game, was held to 12 on 5-of-19 shooting (26.3%) at Chase Center on Sunday. Gobert has been better since Minnesota brought in his old buddy Conley at the trade deadline, but the two have notched one win in four tries so far together as Timberwolves. Towns, who suffered a right calf injury on Nov. 28, is reportedly in the “final stages” of ramping up to play again but remains without a definitive timetable to return. All of this is to say that, on paper at least, this should be the first “normal” offense that the new-look Clippers will face together after being thrown into the fire over the weekend. Make no mistake about it, however, this game has huge stakes lying on it with the standings and the Clippers absolutely need to take it.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• Go, Russ, Go: It is still much too early to speak confidently on the play of Russell Westbrook as a Clipper, but one thing is for sure: individually, he has not been the problem. Russ has overall taken a pretty calculated approach so far, setting up teammates, being aggressive to score when needed, and providing that downhill rim pressure that the Clippers were searching for. As the saying goes, three is a trend, and we will be watching to see how Russell continues to gel with LAC.
• Spectating the Scorer’s Table: As was the story for the Clippers throughout the season, unfortunately, the addition of Russ seems to have created a minutes logjam once more. Just when you thought Marcus Morris Sr.’s minutes might be trending down, his fingerprints were all over the dreadful overtime period against the Nuggets. Westbrook, after fouling out in double-OT against the Kings, was benched after the third quarter in Denver despite putting together a nice game beforehand. Terance Mann is still not getting the minutes he deserves. Norman Powell, Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland aren’t sure when their numbers are going to be called, and for how long. #FreeRoCo has long been off the table. Heading into game No. 64, the Clippers are clearly still in experimentation mode, and there’s plenty of improvement to be had in this department.

Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Tidying Up the Ship
Ralston Dacanay

In a game that went off-kilter with a frenzy of fouls all night long, the LA Clippers could not capitalize on several golden opportunities before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104 Tuesday night. Paul George put up a game-high 34 points (10-24 FG, 6-12 3PT, 8-11 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 41 minutes. Anthony Edwards was spectacular for Minnesota all night long, posting a team-high 30 points (10-21 FG, 5-11 3PT, 5-6 FT) and five rebounds. D’Angelo Russell was right there with him for the Wolves, with 29 points (10-18 FG, 3-5 3PT, 6-8 FT), five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Timberwolves game recap.

Summary

The atmosphere was absolutely electric to start, with none other than the stellar sophomore Anthony Edwards getting things started with a personal seven-point strike. Immediately after, the Clippers responded with a 10-0 run on Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr. and Paul George getting loose. Easily the story of the frame was the Clippers’ mismatch-doubling scheme on Karl-Anthony Towns working to perfection as the big man finished 0-for-5 from the field with two turnovers and two fouls. PG was solid in his opening stint, putting up an efficient six points, assist and two steals, albeit coughing it up twice. Unfortunately, there was perhaps no individual more impactful on the floor in the first than referee Scott Foster, whose crew put up 11 whistles in the first 10 minutes. Playing the game being presented to them soon enough was Patrick Beverley and Norman Powell. Bev drew the first win, getting a citation handed to Powell while trying to get open off the ball. Getting the last laugh, however, was Norm, who drew a late-clock foul on a recovering Pat to tag him with his third in the period. After a Jaden McDaniels 3 at the buzzer, the Clippers held a 26-20 lead heading into the second.

In what an otherwise decent frame, the Clippers had an absolutely dreadful close, squandering an eight-point advantage with four minutes left. Aside from KAT having four fouls and just two points in the entire half, LAC not only weren’t able to capitalize but fell behind altogether. The process for the most part, was solid offensively, as the Clippers routinely caught Minnesota in rotation and hit the open man for 3. After Edwards went on a personal 8-0 run, however, LAC looked frazzled, missing some decent-quality jumpers and four freebies from the charity stripe. In the final 7:21 of the frame, the Clippers scored just seven points — all from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell broke loose for a 10-0 run to get the Target Center crowd dialed all the way in. Nicolas Batum’s 3 with 2.6 seconds left fortunately ended the drought, but the Wolves still overcame all of their struggles to take a 53-51 lead into halftime.

Out of the break, all eyes were on PG and KAT to see which of the struggling stars could get their act together. Fortunately for LA, things went No. 13’s way. Early on, it appeared to be more of the same as the Clippers opened up with four missed jumpers, a turnover and nearly saw Morris Sr. get ejected with a ticky-tack back-and-forth with Beverley. Where things began to change, however, was the other guys easing the load offensively for George. After seeing a pair of Ivica Zubac hooks and Jackson and Morris Sr. triples go down, PG got into the mix and knocked down his next three treys en route to 17 points in the period. As for Towns, LAC continued to involve him in pick-and-rolls as well as exploit his inability to be aggressive due to his four fouls. The highest point of the period for LAC came once Tyronn Lue went with an all-wing lineup featuring Powell, George, Batum, Robert Covington and Morris Sr. Almost immediately, Batum and Morris Sr. played KAT perfectly into his fifth foul. Another blundered close courtesy of a Malik Beasley 3 at the buzzer soon injected life right back into the building, but LAC nursed a 84-78 lead to the final frame.

The fourth quarter perhaps perfectly encapsulated the Clippers’ issues in this one up to this point. Both teams started off about even, with the slightest of advantages and Terance Mann coming alive causing Chris Finch to take time early to shake things up. As KAT came back in, five fouls and all, LAC soon went small and had a clear objective once again. Getting a nice corner three off of Towns’ switch, however, the star big man soon fouled out on an unprompted loose-ball bump on PG. With the Clippers up seven with 7:34 left, it was time for them to either figure something else out or let go of the rope once again. Unfortunately, the latter happened, with Edwards, Russell and Beverley each getting their much-deserved shines in the postseason spotlight as the Timberwolves locked in the seven-seed.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• Priority No. 1 Addressed: Easily the most unforeseen development in tonight’s game, the Clippers prepared for and executed so well on Karl-Anthony Towns tonight that they quite literally didn’t know what to do whenever he exited and once he ultimately fouled out. Major props have to go to Ivica Zubac, Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. for being locked in on the all-star all night, before going small ended up taking him out of his game entirely.
• Ewing Theory?: Such is the game of matchups that is playoff basketball, the Clippers naturally had a much-more cohesive offensive focus when Towns was on the floor. With him off, LAC regrettably shied back into a lot of matchup-hunting iso-ball. This team, especially without both Luke Kennard and Kawhi Leonard, is at their best when the drive, kick, swing mantra is chugging along. When it’s not? It’s not that surprising to get results like this: 19 assists, 17 turnovers and 17 Minnesota points off of turnovers.

• Minutes Meltdown: Both Robert Covington and Terance Mann failed to log over 20 minutes tonight in a trend that we’d hoped wouldn’t carry over from the regular season. With Minnesota not only losing Towns, but also going away from Jared Vanderbilt in favor of floor spacers like Naz Reid, Malik Beasley and Jaden McDaniels, it seemed like a mistake to leave Morris Sr. out there, who had already been picked apart by Edwards throughout the game. Ultimately, this roster is really deep and guys are going to end up not playing as much as they should no matter what, but there’s definitely room for improvement in managing that moving forward.

Up Next: The Clippers will head home to host the winner of San Antonio-New Orleans in the final game of the NBA Play-In Tournament at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, April 12, at 7 p.m. PT.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Play-In Recap: Sold Seven
Ralston Dacanay

With the west’s No. 7 seed on the line, the LA Clippers visit the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the NBA Play-In Tournament Tuesday night. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Timberwolves play in preview.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Information

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: 6:30 p.m. PT
Tune In: TNT, KEIB 1150 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

Projected Starting Lineups:
LA Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Nicolas Batum – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
Minnesota Timberwolves: Patrick Beverley – D’Angelo Russell – Anthony Edwards – Jared Vanderbilt – Karl-Anthony Towns

Injury Report:
LA Clippers: Luke Kennard – OUT (Sore Right Hamstring), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Right Knee; ACL – Injury Recovery), Jason Preston – OUT (Right Foot – Injury Recovery), Jay Scrubb – OUT (Right Foot – Injury Recovery)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Taurean Prince – QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Inflammation)

Update: Luke Kennard (Hamstring) didn’t make the trip to Minnesota, per Andrew Grief.
Update No. 2: Taurean Prince (Right Knee) has been listed as Questionable by the Timberwolves.
Update No. 3: Taurean Prince (Right Knee Inflammation) has been ruled out by the Timberwolves, per Tomer Azarly.

The Big Picture

Less than two days removed from the Clippers clinching their 11th consecutive winning season, a rollercoaster of a year in which every victory was major given the injury woes, it’s officially “win to get in” time. Avoiding the injury bug for the most part since February, the Clippers not only got two of their elite creators back just in time, but have also logged in some very impressive reps while integrating them in. Thus far, both Paul George and Norman Powell have lived up to every bit of the hype and expectations that had long loomed over their recovery roads. Their returns have been godsends for a deep group that, to their own credit, have also tallied both the biggest comeback and largest win margin in franchise history this season to keep the ship afloat. While the matchup on hand tonight seemed inevitable to happen for about a month now, this is perhaps as fun of a one as you could ever ask for in the play-in.

The Antagonist

Say what you want about New Orleans and San Antonio potentially having the opportunity to steal away the Clippers’ spot in the first round — there’s no team in the play-in this year that has more to lose than Minnesota. The 36-game improvement that the Timberwolves have achieved over their last season goes far beyond them simply playing hard and learning from past mistakes. After being a bottom-10 defense every year of Karl-Anthony Towns’ career, the Wolves finished the regular season ranking 13th on that side of the ball (H/T Dane Moore). On the other end, Minnesota has been absolutely rolling since January, closing out the year as the highest-scoring offense in the league. A lot of that has to do with the newly extended COY candidate Chris Finch and his staff, who makes up the other half of what should be an awesome chess match with Tyronn Lue.

For the Wolves, it’s about taking the next step and legitimizing themselves as the talented, offensive juggernaut that they’ve been over the last three months. Meanwhile, the Clippers have had maybe one meaningful game to pull film from in recent memory — a win over the Pelicans on April 3. Even then, Norm hadn’t even returned yet. Despite that, the proven track record of LAC’s experienced, veteran core is tough to bet against. All the while, the season series in which LAC took it 3-1 all came and went by the time we were just three days into 2022, making things even tougher to predict in advance.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• The Captain of the Ship: As Anthony Edwards said on Monday, the Timberwolves, too, are aware that the fate of tonight’s game starts with Paul George. PG coasted LA to three-straight double-digit wins over the Wolves in November with averages of 25.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists on 45.5/35/95 shooting. Since his March 29 return, PG is averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 42.5/52.5/77.4 shooting. Where Clipper Nation will hope Edwards and co. are wrong, however, is that LAC’s chances also don’t end with PG. Aside from the sheer drive, kick, swing DNA of the Clipper offense, there should be plenty of shotmaking and creation if Minnesota decides to put Alcatraz-esque attention on George. Additionally, as Dane Moore mentioned in the latest episode of The Lob, The Jam, The Podcast, although the Wolves’ hyper-aggressive defense is one that has top-three marks in steals and blocks per game, the style does leave the door open for ball-dominant playmakers to pick them apart.

• Talk of the Towns: There is certainly a world in which Karl-Anthony Towns — a much-deserved, shoo-in center for the All-NBA Second Team — absolutely goes off for 40 points en route to a home win. Moore explained on TLTJTP that since taking home the 3-Point Contest hardware, Towns “stopped playing like Channing Frye and starting playing like Giannis Antetokounmpo.” With the way the Clippers have liked to put Nicolas Batum and more agile defenders on star bigs and have Ivica Zubac ready to double, an aggressive Towns could certainly raise immediate red flags. On the other end, you simply have to make KAT work defensively.

• Seeing the Synergy: As we all know, you can’t really tell how ready PG and Norm are going to feel for the postseason until it’s actually here. Aside from seeing how those two fare after being short on time in a must-win situation, it’s about tracking how the team figures it out once again on the fly. From Reggie Jackson’s decision-making in the clutch to Batum, Marcus Morris Sr. and Robert Covington divvying up the forward/center minutes, Terance Mann bringing it up for the bench and even guys like Luke Kennard and Amir Coffey who may or may not see the floor for various reasons, tonight could be the start of putting together something special.

Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Play-In Preview: The Real Deal
Ralston Dacanay

The LA Clippers will close out the preseason in an unfamiliar venue — the home of the Agua Caliente Clippers, in Ontario — but take the court against a very familiar face — Patrick Beverley. Th full preview of the Clippers’ preseason game against the Timberwolves can be found below.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Arena, Ontario, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson — Eric Bledsoe — Paul George — Marcus Morris, Sr. — Isaiah Hartenstein

Timberwolves: D’Angelo Russell — Anthony Edwards — Jaden McDaniels — Jarred Vanderbilt — Karl-Anthony Towns

Injuries

Clippers: OUT — Kawhi Leonard (ACL); Serge Ibaka (back); Jason Preston (foot); QUESTIONABLE — Ivica Zubac (shoulder)

Timberwolves: QUESTIONABLE —Jordan McLaughlin (Groin Strain)

Game Notes

• The Clippers will face Patrick Beverley for the first time since he was traded from the Clippers (originally to the Memphis Grizzlies, but later re-routed to Minnesota). Although this is a preseason game, Clips Nation knows that Pat will be looking to make a statement. Check out this clip to learn how Pat Bev is influencing Minnesota already.
• Marcus Morris, Sr. is not listed on the injury report as of yet, so we might actually see him tonight. He has been held out from the preseason thus far for “rest,” although it is unclear why the Clippers have been so intent on holding him back. Last season, Marcus dealt with knee soreness, so the Clippers might be trying to limit his minutes as a precaution. Hopefully, he feels good enough to give us a shift.
• This will be our last chance to see Hartenstein and Harry Giles III before the Clippers (presumably) have to choose who will take the final roster spot. Thus far, it seems to Hartenstein’s to lose, but Giles might be able to show enough to earn a two-way deal or a roster spot outright in addition to Hartenstein (either of which would require the Clippers to cut someone else currently on the roster, as has been discuss on our podcast).

That about does it for this preview of the Clippers’ preseason game against the Timberwolves. Comment below!

Clippers vs. Timberwolves, Patrick Beverley: Preseason Game Preview
Kenneth Armstrong

The Clippers steamrolled their visitors from Minnesota last night, setting a season high for three pointers made in a game as they continue to be the best shooting team in NBA history. Sure enough, such a victory is accompanied by some good marks in our Clippers and Wolves player grades. Let’s get started!

Clippers Starter Grades

Reggie Jackson: A-. There’s gonna be a trent here among the core rotation guys, who mostly all had really effective low-volume performances as they hit threes every time they got a look up. For Reggie to have 13 points on 4-9 shooting, 4 assists to 0 turnovers, and a +32 in his 21 minutes can’t possibly be lower than an A-, but it also wasn’t in his most impressive class of A-worthy performances.

Paul George: A-. Paul was probably the star of the show tonight, as has been the case for a little while now. He was the only Clipper to break 20 points with 23 on 9-17 shooting, and he added 7 rebounds and 5 assists (with 3 turnovers) on the night. Can’t knock anything about this performance but we won’t hold this among his very best games either.

Kawhi Leonard: A-. I’m almost tempted to have Kawhi be the guy who breaks through and earns an A, since he flirted with a triple-double in just 23 (!) minutes. Perhaps if he had stayed in, he would have gotten the additional 2 assists required to reach that threshold. However, he was rough in his first shift tonight and while that can be forgiven as he was rusty, it ended up being a large portion of his minutes on the night. A- it is.

Marcus Morris: A-. On a night where the Clippers set their season high in three point shots made, it makes sense that the team’s most prolific spot-up specialist would lead the way with 5 of his own. Marcus is now 2nd in the NBA in three-point shooting at 48.1%, and he even pitched in 6 rebounds as the Clippers demolished the Wolves on the glass, 48-37.

Ivica Zubac: A-. Actually, if one Clipper from the starting unit deserves an A for this game, it might be Zu. I’m leaving him down at A- because he would up in foul trouble again playing against Karl-Anthony Towns, but I have a bit of a bone to pick with the rest of the team here. Zu and KAT both picked up their third fouls midway through the second quarter. Ty Lue, trying to preserve his young center for later in the game, pulled Zu from the game. Chris Finch, recognizing the perilous position that the Wolves were already in, kept Towns in the lineup. Zu deserves some credit for his physicality dominating the interior early and contributing to Towns’ foul trouble, and it was a bit disappointing to see the other Clippers not be more aggressive in forcing Towns into compromising situations in foul trouble. In the 16 minutes that the two were matched up, Towns was 4-11 and did not grab a single rebound, while Zu was 4-5 and had 4. The Clippers won those minutes by 27 in a game they won by 19 overall.

Clippers Bench Player Grades

Terance Mann: C+. I love that Terance continues to take threes with confidence when defenders sag off of him, and it helps on that front that he’s been red-hot from deep. He’s now up to 42.9% on the season (46.3% from the corners) on 3.3 attempts per 100 possessions, and he’s hit 47.2% since the All-Star Break. Obviously you’d like to see those attempt numbers higher, but it feels like he’s been taking them far more willingly. But he was 0-4 on two-point shots this game and didn’t get to his strengths going downhill and finishing around the basket nearly enough, especially given leash to protect the lead in garbage time.

Luke Kennard: B. Luke was a little better offensively than Terance in this one, and while the team did lose his minutes I have a hard time blaming the downfall of a Kennard – Coffey – Fitts – Oturu – Cousins lineup on Kennard… that’s just not a very good group. The most important thing for Luke is to maintain his confidence as his role is inconsistent in upcoming weeks, and to come into games determined to make an impact with his shot-making. That way if (when?) he’s called upon in a pinch in the playoffs, he can make a positive impact despite not getting many minutes.

Patrick Patterson: B. PatPat didn’t have a ton to do in his 17 minutes tonight, but he did his job.

DeMarcus Cousins: C+. Good: he hit a cutting Daniel Oturu several times to help the rookie get a few easy buckets in garbage time. Bad: the mobility just isn’t there for him to be able to finish reliably in traffic, which aligns with the much larger sample size of meaningful minutes in Houston earlier this season.

Rajon Rondo: B. Opened up the offense with a few brilliant passes, stalled a few possessions because he didn’t want to shoot. Ultimately, like PatPat, the Clippers just didn’t need very much from Rajon tonight and so he had a ho-hum game, did his job, and got to play assistant coach to the younger guys down the stretch.

Amir Coffey: C. Look, if Amir somehow coming up big every time the Clippers need him for a meaningful shift is the trade-off for him laying an egg when he just has to come in and hold a lead, I’ll take it. But to do nothing in 12 minutes of garbage time as the third string got crushed by 19 points is pretty bad.

Daniel Oturu: B+. Some actual cutting and finishing around the basket! Oturu had 7 of the team’s 20 fourth-quarter points, which isn’t going to force him into the rotation any time soon but feels worth a little happiness as it’s the most good we’ve seen him do in his limited time this year.

Malik Fitts: A. Okay, he wasn’t spectacular or anything–but the guy hit his first NBA shot and won’t be continuing with the Clippers past this game (at least for now) as they utilize this roster spot on emergency guard depth in the form of Yogi Ferrell. Maybe team and player will be reunited in the coming weeks or months.

No Grades

For once, everyone on the end of the bench got such substantial run that every active Clipper got a grade. That means only the guys who didn’t suit up tonight went without marks: injured veterans Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka, essentially-redshirted Jay Scrubb, and forward Nicolas Batum, who the team rested in this game.

Clippers vs Wolves Player Grades
Lucas Hann

Feeling good at home with fans finally back in the building, the L.A. Clippers (40-19) were just about flawless from buzzer-to-buzzer, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-105. Pouring in a season-high 21 3-pointers, the Clippers improved to 21-3 when making at least 16 threes and 35-9 when making as many or more triples than their opponent. Paul George’s five-game streak of scoring at least 30 or more points came to a peaceful end as he racked up 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in a team-high 27 minutes. Returning from a four-game absence, Kawhi Leonard entered triple-double watch early before finishing just shy with 15 points, 11 boards and eight assists. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with a team-high 23 points and six rebounds. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Timberwolves game recap.

Summary

The Clippers sprinted out of the gates as Leonard picked up right where he left off—knocking down a pull-up transition three, finding PG for a wide-open deep ball and finishing a nice running hook. Paul George was the high man in the quarter, leading all scorers with 12 in the period. Karl-Anthony Towns looked to be aggressive for the Wolves, but shot just 2-for-7 from the field while settling mostly for looks from deep. Although the Clippers led by as much as 10, empty possessions and turnovers allowed Minnesota to keep it close, with L.A. up just 29-26 through one.

Shooting 10 of 15 from 3-point land in the second quarter, the Clippers’ historic season-long shooting efficiency made all the difference in them gaining some breathing room. Despite taking just six trips to the line and conceding a Towns and-1 poster on Ivica Zubac, the Clippers disheartened the visitors by shooting 60.9% from the field and dominating second-chance points 15-0. Rajon Rondo looked great as a savvy floor general once again, pushing the pace while setting up Terance Mann for a pair of right-wing threes. At the halftime horn, the Clippers held a 72-53 lead with all of their starters in double-figures except for Kawhi, who just missed the mark with eight points.

In the third quarter, the Clippers’ clinical offensive execution blew the game wide open as L.A. outscored the Wolves 32-16. As the Clippers continued to find the open man en route to knocking down 5 of 10 more from deep, the T-Wolves struggled to find the energy needed to retaliate. Soon after Edwards and Towns picked up their fourth fouls in back-to-back plays midway through the frame, the Clippers took a 104-69 lead into the fourth.

With a full quarter of garbage time to go, the Clippers sat their starters for the rest of the night. Although L.A. ended up losing the fourth 20-36, it was definitely interesting to see some extended burn for DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Oturu and Malik Fitts. Boogie showed off some of his facilitating ability with three assists, Oturu upped his career-high with seven points and Fitts knocked down the first bucket of his NBA career as the Clippers coasted to the win.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• If it Ain’t Broke: Almost halfway through the second, KAT and Zubac both picked up their third fouls. Although Zu was pulled, Minnesota left Towns out there for nearly six minutes to close out the first half. Albeit the Clips let the Wolves’ star off the hook by not forcing the issue with him in foul trouble, it fortunately didn’t matter in this one as the rest of Minnesota’s defense presented plenty of opportunities to score with regularity.
• Sticking to the Scout: The Clippers let the Wolves pull threes with little-to-no resistance throughout the night and it worked out in their favor as Minnesota finished 17-for-45 from deep (37.8%). Despite taking the ninth most 3-point attempts per game in the league, the T-Wolves rank just 23rd in 3-point field goal percentage (34.8%).
• 40-Before-20 Club: Clinching their 40th win of the season, the Clippers joined the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns as the third team this season to do so before hitting 20 losses.
• Up Next: The Clippers will travel north to face the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. PT.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Recap: L.A. Notches 40th Win
Ralston Dacanay

After a hard-fought loss in Philadelphia to close out the three-game road trip, the L.A. Clippers (39-19) head back west to host the scrappy Minnesota Timberwolves (15-42) in their first home game with fans back. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Timberwolves game preview.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
When: 7 p.m. PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, NBA TV, AM 570 L.A. Sports, 1330 AM Tu Liga

Projected Starting Lineups:
L.A. Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris Sr. – Ivica Zubac
Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio – Anthony Edwards – Josh Okogie – Jaden McDaniels – Karl-Anthony Towns

Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Nicolas Batum – OUT (Rest), Patrick Beverley – OUT (Left Hand Fourth Metacarpal Fracture), Serge Ibaka – OUT (Lower Back Tightness)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Malik Beasley – OUT (Left Hamstring Injury), Jaylen Nowell – DOUBTFUL (Right Tibia Contusion)

The Big Picture

Although relinquishing sole possession of the NBA’s longest active win streak is a bummer, the Clippers have to be feeling pretty upbeat heading into Sunday night’s game. L.A.’s brief 2-1 road trip was ultimately successful, all things considered, with Kawhi Leonard on the mend for all three contests. Showing a lot of fight and resilience despite availability questions surrounding their starting lineup on a night-to-night basis, the Clippers executed a spirited brand of basketball throughout the trip that caught some praise from head coach Tyronn Lue, who mentioned Friday that he’s happy that the team is playing the right way and for one another. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that after 406 days, LAC is set to play its first game at Staples Center with members of Clipper Nation in attendance once again.

With the playoffs starting up near the end of next month, the Clippers remain 3.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns (40-15) for the West’s No. 2 seed. However, with the Suns facing the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets over their next four games, the Clippers have a great opportunity to drastically make up some ground if they can continue to be consistent occupants of the win column.

The Antagonist

Sunday’s contest will be the third and final meeting with the Clippers for Minnesota this season, who is looking for their first road win against LAC since January 2018. Counting down the days in a season that has the makings of the team’s sixth last place finish in the Northwest Division since 2014-15, the young Timberwolves remain firmly in the midst of a rebuild. Just as Minnesota’s pair of 25-year-old stars continue to try to figure out their identity together, off the court the franchise is reportedly in the works of finding its leadership with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore set to purchase both the T-Wolves and the WNBA’s Lynx.

Minnesota’s path to upsetting the Clippers starts with Karl-Anthony Towns. The big man is having his best month of the season, averaging 29.3 points (50.7% FG), 12.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists through seven outings in April. Heading into tonight, Towns’ dynamic duo partner appears not to be fellow max-contract player D’Angelo Russell, but instead the NBA’s Rookie of the Month for March in Anthony Edwards. The Ant-Man has been on a bit of a tear since becoming an everyday starter back in January, ranking in the Top-5 among rookies in points (1) and steals (4) per game, and in total three-pointers (2). Edwards has recorded at least one steal in 25 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA. In a bench role with a 25-minute limit restriction, Russell is still working to shake off the rust from a near-month-long absence due to left knee surgery, shooting over 50% from the field in just three of seven games since returning.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Game Notes

• MVPG: Barring a gameday scratch, Paul George will suit up tonight with a running streak of five straight games with at least 30 points, tied for the best stretch of the sort in his 11-year NBA career. George has career averages of 23.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists against Minnesota.

• Unfazed by the Wolves: The T-Wolves have struggled to contain the Clippers defensively this year as L.A. has put up splits of 52/52/85 in their first two matchups. The Clippers lead the NBA in most games shooting at least 50% from beyond the arc (13), are 20-3 when they make at least 16 3-pointers and are 34-9 when making as many or more triples than their opponent.
• Enter Chris Finch: This will be the Clippers’ first game facing the Finch-led Timberwolves. Named the head coach of the T-Wolves on Feb. 22, Finch has over 24 years of NBA and G League experience, serving most recently as an assistant coach under Nick Nurse’s staff with Toronto this season. Previously, Finch has coached the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Nikola Jokić, Zion Williamson and Kyle Lowry.

Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Return of the Pack
Ralston Dacanay