The basket, so teeny-tiny and frustratingly frugal during the Clippers’ first few games, on Wednesday night suddenly, generously ballooned to roughly the equivalent of a ring around Saturn.
After shooting a paltry 32.4% from 3-point range in their first six games, the Clippers shot an astronomical 58.3% from behind the arc in their 126-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves before a crowd of 15,386 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Clippers shot 21 for 36 from behind the arc – and made some history in the process. It’s the 13th time in franchise history that the Clippers connected on at least 20 3-point shots and, more impressive still, the 13th time in NBA history that a team shot better than 58% from 3-point range (minimum 35 attempts).
They were 9 for 11 (81.8%) from long range in the third quarter, which goes down as the highest 3-point percentage (with a minimum of 10 attempts) in a single quarter in franchise history.
“Guys continue to keep taking their shots,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We talked about it all week long about just stepping up, having confidence and taking your shots and our guys were open and they made shots so that was good to see.”
Paul George and his pals poured it on in Minnesota, and they needed it considering they spotted their hosts 30 points off of their season-worst 21 turnovers.
George played 36 minutes and finished with 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including going 4 for 8 from 3-point range. The seven-time All-Star also had six rebounds and eight assists (and a career-high eight turnovers).
Through his first seven games, George is averaging 28.9 points per game on 50.7% shooting, 42.2% from deep.
“It feels good when you get into a zone,” George said, via Zoom, after Wednesday’s win. “You just try to stay in it, try to find shots, try to find the right shots, that was really the key tonight. Just find the right shots and just be aggressive.”
Reggie Jackson certainly followed directions. After hitting the game-clinching, spirit-lifting runner in Monday’s 99-94 victory over Oklahoma City, the 11th-year guard knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers on nine attempts Wednesday. He finished with a season-high 29 points, extending his personal winning streak vs. Minnesota to 17-0. (The teams play again Friday.)
“It’s crazy just how this game works,” George said. “I thought that shot took (Monday) a lot of weight off. And tonight it showed. … I thought he took the same shots he’s been taking. The difference is he knew those were his shots. You know, it wasn’t like he was trying to find his shots, he knew those were his shots tonight.”
Nicolas Batum gave the Clippers 20 points, going 6 for 8 from behind the arc – including a shot clock-beating basket off a broken play that made it 121-113 with 2:55 to play.
And Terance Mann finished with 17 points off the bench, 15 of them coming before halftime. He made all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Clippers (3-4) won consecutive games for the first time this season and eclipsed 100 points for the first time in four games. Overall, they shot a blistering 60.3% (47 for 78).
About 46 hours and 1,928 miles removed from the onset of Monday’s fourth-quarter heat wave, 12 minutes in which they shot 11 for 22 from the field and 6 for 9 from 3-point range, the Clippers hadn’t cooled off at all.
“In that fourth quarter we really shot the ball well,” Lue said of his team’s late-game surge against the Thunder. “Just on tape yesterday, just showing the guys, ‘These are the shots we’re getting. So don’t get discouraged about missing shots, don’t get discouraged how we’re playing. Just keep plugging at it, keep taking your shots and we’ll be fine.’”
Maybe more than fine.
Sparked by 17 first-half points from George and 13 more from the recently resurgent Jackson (who also had a 13-point third quarter), the Clippers kept cooking. They started 56.4% from the field and 50% from 3-point range in the first half, scoring that compensated for their 13 first-half turnovers (and the 19 points the Timberwolves scored off of them). L.A. went into the break leading 58-54.
It was a marked improvement for a team that walked into the Target Center shooting 41.3%.
Former Clipper leader Patrick Beverley was in the starting lineup for the Timberwolves (3-4) despite being questionable before the game with a calf injury.
In his first meeting against his former team, Beverley had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He also inadvertently gave the Clippers an assist when he was assessed a technical foul for batting away Luke Kennard’s hand before an inbound pass. Then, on the next inbounds play, Kennard tapped away Beverley’s pass and fed Batum for a slam dunk that pushed L.A.’s lead to 116-108 with 4:01 left.
Anthony Edwards scored 29 points for Minnesota, which has lost four of five. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Timberwolves were without D’Angelo Russell, who was sidelined with a right ankle sprain.
Former USC and Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda High standout Jordan McLaughlin had three points and two assists in 11 minutes for Minnesota.