Clippers turn back clock in grinding win over Timberwolves
In a game straight out of a time machine, the Clippers win a rock fight.
“But when I woke up this mornin’;
Could’ve sworn it was Judgment Day”
The famed Minneapolis-native artist Prince released his iconic song ‘1999’ in late 1982.
It starts with a concussive melodic burst that stings your eardrums, letting you immediately know that what you’re about to hear will be an assault on your senses that you won’t soon forget.
On Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, the LA Clippers were hit by that same blast to start their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The home side rattled off a 23-7 opening salvo to get things started, and the Clippers had to make a stand or else they’d fall further behind a team above them in the standings.
Make one they did as they stormed back behind Norman Powell’s 3-point symphony and Kawhi Leonard’s methodical overtones to lead the Clippers to a much-needed 89-88 victory that pulled them to just one game in the loss column behind Minnesota.
“Our bench came in and gave us great energy,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters in Minnesota after the game. “I thought (Norman Powell) came in and made some huge shots to get us going offensively, and then we kinda picked up from there.”
Powell made six 3s on Sunday, finishing with 24 points, while the rest of the team netted four triples.
“We were struggling early to make shots,” forward Kawhi Leonard said. “We just kept fighting and played good defense, started making shots, and just crawled out of it.”
The Clippers used a 16-0 run that bridged the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter to take the lead. They went into halftime with a 49-46 advantage despite shooting 43% from the field.
“Tryin’ to run from the destruction;
You know I didn’t even care”
The last time these two teams played, Minnesota ran the Clippers out of the Clippers’ own building, ending with several Timberwolves players taking great pleasure in the festivities on their way out of town.
No such thing on this night as the Clippers (39-20) clamped down defensively to limit the Timberwolves to 8-for-22 shooting in the fourth quarter as they held star guard Anthony Edwards to just two points in the frame.
“I think from our standpoint, just being down 0-2 [in the season series vs. Minnesota] and the way they beat us the second game at home, and then coming out tonight they got to an early start,” Lue said postgame.
“I thought our blitzes early had us in rotations and they got a lot of open shots they made, so once we switched our defense and went back to our normal coverages and not blitzing (Anthony Edwards) I think we were more solid.”
The Clippers limited Minnesota to 38.8% shooting on the night and held them to a season-low 88 points. The last time Minnesota scored this few points was on Dec. 14, 2022, when they also scored 88 in a loss to the Clippers. That game was in Los Angeles.
Leonard scored eight of his game-high 32 in the fourth as he also finished the night with five rebounds in 38 minutes. Leonard made 12 of his 26 field goal attempts.
Paul George struggled for most of the game, finishing just 5-for-16 from the field but made half of his six field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, including a late-in-the-clock 3-pointer to put the Clippers in front with eight minutes to play. George tallied 15 points and four rebounds.
“We just had to stay in it, stay with it,” George said after the win. “Shots weren’t falling for both sides. We just stayed in it and played a full 48 minutes.”
“War is all around us;
My mind says prepare to fight”
As expected, third-year guard Bones Hyland saw time as the backup lead guard in the absence of the injured Russell Westbrook, who will miss the foreseeable future due to a fractured left hand.
Hyland didn’t score on the night but did dish out two assists in his 14 minutes while the team outscored Minnesota by 11 points with Hyland on the floor, all tied to the early second-quarter run that saw the Clippers flip the script on the game and take a lead.
“I thought Bones came in and did a good job of just running the show, running the team,” said Lue.
Starting center Ivica Zubac made his return to the lineup after missing the team’s last two games following an illness. Zubac finished with two points and two rebounds in 19 minutes as he looks to round back into playing form.
Daniel Theis has firmly entrenched himself as the team’s backup center, playing 29 minutes on Sunday, including the final 16 as the Clippers valued Theis’ ability to space the floor as a potential 3-point shooter in an effort to bring standout defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert away from the basket.
“I thought (Daniel Theis’) spacing with Gobert on the floor, even though he didn’t make a lot of shots, just his spacing alone just kind of kept Gobert guessing a little bit,” Lue remarked postgame.
Theis finished with four points and 13 rebounds.
Amir Coffey added two points and four rebounds off the bench while Terance Mann contributed six points and four boards in his 49th start of the season.
For only the second time in his illustrious career, guard James Harden attempted at least 10 field goals in a game and didn’t make a single one. The first instance came during Harden’s rookie year when he went 0-for-10 in his 30th career game. On Sunday, Harden went 0-for-10 in 34 minutes but did dish out 10 assists and grab five rebounds.
Lue saw the positives despite the shooting struggles of both Harden and George.
“Overall, if we can win a game like that with James (Harden) [going] 0-for-10 and (Paul George) 5-for-16, and to beat the number one team in the West on their home floor, says a lot about our team.”
The Clippers won despite finishing the game shooting 37.6% as a team, their lowest in a win since Jan. 21, 2020, when they shot 37.1% in a win over Dallas.
Minnesota (42-19) was led by Anthony Edwards’ 27 points. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 16 boards. It was Minnesota’s second consecutive loss.
L.A. outscored the Timberwolves 19-0 in fast break points and 14-13 in second-chance points.
“Party over, oops, out of time;
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999”
Getting a game this low-scoring in the modern era of the NBA is a rarity.
Sunday’s game marked the first time this season that two teams scored under 90 points in the same game. The last time it happened in the NBA was Dec. 12, 2022, when Miami beat Indiana, 87-82.
It really did feel like a throwback.
Two heavyweights leaning on each other, exchanging body blows to wear the other one down. On Sunday, it was the Clippers who stood tall at the end, with their hand raised as the opposing crowd jeered on.
It was just one game in a long season. But it’s a pivotal moment regardless. The Clippers defeated a foe they very well could see in the playoffs; one who has given them problems.
Like the slow fade of Prince’s iconic song, we’re left wanting more.
Maybe the playoffs will deliver that.