Wolves vs. Clippers Final Score: Leonard’s 32 Points Outlasts Minnesota

THE Minnesota Timberwolves welcomed Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers to Target Center, after a frustrating 124-120 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings,

Despite the earlier than usual tip of 2:30 p.m. CT, the mood was fantastic from the first tip, exploding with every good play to start the match.

The Wolves would break their recent habit of starting games slowly by jumping out to an early 9-0 lead, leading to a Tyronn Lue timeout just over three minutes into the game.

Minnesota would continue to do the same out of the timeout, quickly going up by as many as 16 points in the first quarter.

The Wolves would take a 30-18 lead into the first quarter break. The Timberwolves defense managed to hold the Clippers to 28.6% shooting from the field with just four points in the paint.

Los Angeles immediately came back strong in the second quarter, going on a 16-0 run to take the lead. During that stretch, the Clippers made six of eight shots, including four straight 3-pointers.

On offense, turnovers were a big problem for the Wolves in the second quarter. After turning it over only once in the first quarter, Minnesota had eight turnovers in the second, including four in the first three minutes of the quarter.

The officials were allowing a lot of contact on both sides of the ball, which seemed to affect the Wolves more than the Clippers, as Minnesota attacked the paint more often. After a missed foul in which Rudy Gobert hit a driver on the arm, the Timberwolves seemed particularly frustrated by the lack of whistles.

Minnesota didn’t let its frustrations last too long and after some back-and-forth play throughout the rest of the quarter, the Clippers took a 49-46 lead into halftime.

The third quarter would be a defensive brawl with both teams combining for just 40 points in the quarter.

Together, the Wolves and Clippers shot 40.6 percent from the field, with the Timberwolves hitting a few more shots than their opponent, giving them a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Minnesota was particularly cold after missing three of its first eight 3-pointers before Monté Morris knocked down one early in the fourth to give the Wolves a four-point lead with nine minutes remaining.

The game would remain close throughout, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead into the fourth quarter. After a McDaniels dunk assisted by Gobert, the game would be tied heading into the final 2:15.

On the next play, after a timeout, Leonard was able to beat Karl-Anthony Towns through the backdoor for the and-one layup, giving the Clippers a three-point lead.

After a KAT dunk and a stop on defense, the Wolves would have a chance to take the lead. With 19 seconds left, Towns would miss an open floater on the left block.

Minnesota missed a ton of open looks in the second half, both from inside the paint and from three, which would prove costly. After two free throws from Leonard and a dunk from Ant, time was running out for Minnesota.

The Wolves would lose to the Clippers 89-88, their second straight loss at home. The Wolves will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak against the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow evening, return to Target Center.

Leonard finished with a game-high 32 points to lead LA, who also got 24 big points from Norman Powell in the win. Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points, but scored just two in the final quarter, while Towns added 18 points on 18 shots to go along with the spirit.

Key takeaways

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Bearing problems

Turning the ball over has been a huge problem for the Timberwolves all season long, as they turned the ball over eighth in the NBA tonight. Turnovers are probably the biggest reason why Minnesota has been a subpar offensive team this season. The Wolves have an above-average shooting percentage on 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws.

The freebies are especially costly for a team like the Wolves, who have a historically excellent defense. Opposing teams can get much easier baskets off Timberwolves turnovers than against Minnesota’s half-court defense, who boasts a defensive rating of 91.1more than three points better than the No. 2 defense.

The first half of today’s game was a perfect example of this as the Wolves won the first quarter by 12 in which they only turned the ball over once, and lost the second quarter- time by 15 when they turned it over eight times. The Clippers were able to take those turnovers and score 31 points in the second while the Wolves defense managed to hold them to 18 points in the first quarter. And then, Minnesota didn’t give it up in the third quarter, before giving it up six times in the final third.

Minnesota has shown limited periods of turnovers this season. The few weeks leading up to the All-Star break are an example of them being able to do this for a period longer than a game or two, but that hasn’t continued since returning from the break.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have ambitions for a deep playoff run and limiting turnovers to at least league average will be a necessity to achieve their goals.

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Potential playoff opponent

This was the third meeting between these two teams, with the Wolves winning the first two. Two of the games were close, with the most recent game being a blowout victory for the Timberwolves. As the Wolves begin to wrap up the regular season and look toward the playoffs, this Clippers team could be a matchup for the Wolves in the second round or conference finals, depending on how the standings pan out.

While many on the outside would see this as a potentially tough matchup for the Wolves, they have shown over these last three games with the Clippers that they can more than hold their own against Los Angeles, who has struggled mightily on the offensive end , displaying scores. of 105, 100 and 89 in the three battles.

Despite the loss, the Timberwolves showed that while the Clippers will be very tough in the playoffs, they don’t appear to be the nightmare they were for Gobert and the Utah Jazz years ago.

The Wolves defense was able to stop them without taking their best players off the field. The question for the Timberwolves now is whether they will be able to find enough offense to win against teams like the Clippers.

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Incredible Timberwolves defense

Like the turnovers, the Timberwolves’ defense has been another constant this season and this Sunday afternoon against the Clippers was perhaps their best performance on that side of the ball this season.

Minnesota managed to hold the fourth-best offense in terms of offensive rating in the NBA with just 89 points, including 37.6% from the field. This is an exceptional defense that will translate well in the playoffs against any opponent.

The Timberwolves did a fantastic job on Paul George and James Harden, who combined for 19 points on 5-26 shooting. Harden did not make a single field goal attempt in the entire game (0/10).

The only two players able to score well were Leonard, who had 32 points, and Powell, who had 24 points, including six on two shots at the end of the first and third quarters. Those six points would be very costly in a one-point loss for Minnesota.

Following

The seven-game homestand concludes tomorrow night, as the Wolves take on Anfernee Simons and the Portland Trail Blazers. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Wolves and the Blazers, with the Wolves having won the previous three matchups.

The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT on Bally Sports North.

Strong points