Alex Bader
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves fell below .500 for the first time this season, as they lost their third game in a row. Tonight, the Los Angeles Clippers proved to be too much. Minnesota played great overall throughout the game, but found themselves out-matched by a heavily talented Clippers team.
After the poor loss Monday night against the Magic, getting off to a hot start for the Wolves against the Clippers was going to be the biggest key for Minnesota to get the win. With Kawhi Leonard out, the big threat from LA is Paul George.
Minnesota looked great in the early going of the first quarter, Anthony Edwards got five quick points to give the Wolves the early lead.
The Clippers responded with a 9-0 scoring run to grab a four-point lead with eight minutes left to play in the first quarter.
Then, the Timberwolves went on a 5-0 scoring run to grab the lead just one minute later, 12-11.
The Clippers responded and got themselves right back in the lead.
Edwards was aggressive in the first quarter, getting to the rim and drawing fouls. Paul George grabbed two fouls early and had to sit with five minutes left in the first quarter.
With PG on the bench, the Wolves went on a 9-0 scoring run to regain the lead, 23-18.
The two teams traded shots down the stretch of the first quarter.
Minnesota ended the first quarter with seven straight missed shots and found themselves trailing the Clippers by four points, 27-23 LA.
The Wolves had to correct the poor shooting early in the second quarter or the game would start to get away from them.
Minnesota did just that and battled back into the game on the backs of the high-energy play from ANT and went on a 10-2 scoring run. The Timberwolves took back the lead with just over seven minutes left in the second quarter, 36-34.
The Clippers responded well and regained a five-point lead over Minnesota. However, the Timberwolves didn't go away quietly and continued to make shots to put pressure on Los Angeles.
The Wolves went on an 8-0 scoring run to keep them within striking distance at the end of the second quarter. Minnesota went into halftime trailing Los Angeles by four points, 58-54.
ANT led the way in the first half for the Wolves with 18 points and three assists. Beasley had nine points off the bench. KAT had six rebounds and seven points.
The Clippers had three players in double-digit scoring after the first half; Paul George had 17, Reggie Jackson had 13, and Terance Mann had 15.
Minnesota would need to play better defense and do a better job at contesting the shots. They would need to continue to drive to the hoop and draw fouls.
Minnesota came out aggressive and shot the ball 6 for 8 early in the third quarter. However, the Clippers shot the ball just as well, if not better.
At the 8:44 mark of the third quarter, the Wolves battled back and tied the game at 68-68.
However, some scary news for Wolves fans as right after the Wolves tied the game, ANT bumped knees with Bledsoe and immediately called to Finch to come off the court.
Right after the Wolves took a two-point lead, the Clippers responded with a 9-0 scoring run to push the LA lead to 77-70.
Edwards came back onto the court after getting his knee looked at.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, his presence wasn't enough to stop the Clippers from knocking down shots.
The Clippers went on an 11-6 scoring run to push the lead over the Timberwolves, 91-82.
Both teams started to shoot the ball very well in the third quarter. Los Angeles made everything and the Wolves had to do everything in their power to just stay within striking distance.
It was a close game up until about three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles made 17 of their 20 shot attempts in the third quarter and had a 103-88 lead over the Wolves going into the fourth. Clippers shot 9-11 from three in the third quarter.
Minnesota had kept the game close, but after a cold stretch, they found themselves going into the final quarter trailing by 15 points.
If Minnesota wants to pull the win out, they are going to need to contest more shots in the fourth quarter and stop giving open looks. If they can get the Clippers off their shooting game, the Wolves would have a chance.
The Wolves started the fourth quarter by going on a 6-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to nine with over 10 minutes to play.
However, the Clippers continued to knock down 3-pointers like they were layups. With over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Wolves were trailing the Clippers 115-102.
The Wolves did not throw in the towel. They finally got stops and made those stops count on the offensive end. With three minutes left in the game, the Wolves trailed the Clippers 118-113.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, the five-point deficit was the closest the Wolves got to catching the Clippers.
Minnesota fell to the Clippers by a score of 126-115.
The Clippers shot an impressive 60.3 percent from the field and an even 60 percent from the 3-point line.
PG led the way with 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Reggie Jackson finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Nicolas Batum had an impressively quiet night with 20 points, Mann had 17 points off the bench.
Minnesota shot 45.7 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-pointer line.
ANT led the way for the Wolves with 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. Towns had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Beverley had a great game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Vanderbilt, Beasley, and Reid all had impressive performances off the bench. Vanderbilt had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Reid had 11 pints and Beasley had 14 points.
Minnesota will need to shoot a lot better and start contesting shots on Friday or it could be another long night.
BADER'S TAKE
A lot to digest from this one.
PG is just too good. Even when he was contested, he got off difficult shots and made great passes to an open teammate. He set the tone for the Clippers and the rest followed his great shooting.
The Clippers earned the win tonight. Credit to the Timberwolves for battling all night long and they Wolves did not play a bad game, the Clippers just played better. Their shooting percentage just proves how well the Clippers played. Even without Kawhi, the Clippers proved to still be dangerous and a hard team to beat.
On the other hand, the Wolves' depth issues were apparent in tonight's game. Minnesota has such small room for error and it was shown in the loss. The little mistakes came back to hurt the Wolves. With Russel out, Towns saw a double team all night and ANT did what he could. Minnesota has to get points from someone else on the roster, especially if Russel remains to be injured. They also need to get defensive help.
Any night you allow the opposing team to shoot 60 percent from the 3-point line, it is going to be very difficult to get the win. They need to focus on PG but can't forget about the other guys like Jackson, Batum, and Mann because they can all do damage - which they proved tonight.
The Wolves have to defend the 3-point line much better on Friday and any game moving forward to even give themselves a chance.
Again, the Timberwolves didn't play badly, they just ran into a better Clippers team. If they are to get revenge on Friday, they will need to be better with defending the 3-pointer and get more contested shots.
I think this Minnesota team has a lot to prove to fans and they will come out aggressive Friday and get the bounce-back win.
Hopefully, the Clippers will miss a couple more shots too.
Minnesota fell below .500 for the first time this season and hopefully they play with a little bit more determination and energy on Friday.
A win will get them back to .500 and it would be huge to stop this short losing skid before it comes anything longer. They have already lost three in a row, all at home. They need a win to show fans that they are still capable of winning.
Four losses in a row at home would be detrimental to morale.
What's Next:
Deja Vu?
Minnesota Timberwolves ( 3-4 ) vs. Los Angeles Clippers ( 3-4 ) at the Target Center on Friday Nov, 5th 2021. Tip-off at 7 p. m.
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