Following a very energetic weekend it want to put behind it, the Los Angeles Clippers strikes ahead on Tuesday with a go to from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After popping out on the dropping finish of NBA historical past on Friday and enduring a scare on a staff flight Saturday, the Clippers took the highest staff within the Western Conference to the wire Sunday, solely to expertise the sting of defeat once more.
The drama started Friday, throughout Russell Westbrook’s debut, when the Clippers failed to guard a 14-point lead with 4:25 remaining and misplaced a 176-175 determination in double additional time to the Sacramento Kings in a sport that was extra pinball than basketball. It was the second-highest scoring sport in NBA historical past.
On Saturday morning, lightning struck the staff airplane shortly after takeoff en path to Denver, in response to a number of experiences. One day later, Los Angeles rallied from an early 18-point deficit, solely to lose in additional time once more, this time by a 134-124 depend.
The Clippers averaged 149.5 factors over a two-game stretch and misplaced each contests.
At this level, Los Angeles might use some normalcy, though it’s seemingly that something goes because the staff tries to lock down a excessive seed for the playoffs.
The Clippers confirmed they can provide the Nuggets a worthy take a look at, getting 33 factors from Kawhi Leonard, 23 from Paul George and 17 from Westbrook — who additionally added 4 assists and 5 steals in 25 minutes of his second sport with the staff.
Mason Plumlee had 10 rebounds in 27 minutes as he began instead of middle Ivica Zubac, who has missed the final two video games with a proper calf pressure.
“The biggest thing for me is just the way we started,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue mentioned. “You can’t get down 15, 16 points to a good team like this and then you have to fight and claw back. But overall, I liked our grind and our grit. I thought Russ did a good job. I should have probably played him more.”
The Timberwolves enter on a three-game dropping streak, the newest of which was a 109-104 setback at Golden State on Sunday. Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 factors, whereas Anthony Edwards was held to 12 on 5-of-19 taking pictures (26.3 p.c). Edwards averages a team-best 24.7 factors per sport.
The Timberwolves missed 10 of their 21 free-throw makes an attempt and had been 3 of 13 from 3-point vary within the fourth quarter.
“I thought, if we keep playing like that, we’ll be fine,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch mentioned. “We responded to everything and if there was another two minutes in the game, or another minute in the game, maybe we finish on top.”
Minnesota continues to be with out Karl-Anthony Towns (calf), whereas Rudy Gobert (13.4 factors, 11.6 rebounds per sport) missed Sunday’s sport with an sickness. Towns hasn’t performed since late November.
Minnesota is coming into its second sport of a four-game stretch in California earlier than transferring right into a run the place it performs eight consecutive video games in opposition to Eastern Conference groups that features matchups in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
