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Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Continuing the Good Kawhi Vibes
The Clippers are coming off a win and the return of Kawhi Leonard, but will face a much stiffer test on the road against the potent defense of the Timberwolves.
Game
Information
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: 5:00 PM PT
How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Timberwolves: Mike Conley – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Julius Randle – Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Clippers: Kai Jones Out (G-League), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Cam Christie Out (G-League)
Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham Out (Ankle), Josh Minott Questionable (Illness), Luka Garza Questionable (Ankle)
The Big Picture
The Clippers
beat the Hawks soundly on Saturday, but didn’t really play all that well; the
Hawks were truly abysmal. However, the vibes in Clippersnation were extremely
high due to the 2025 debut of superstar Kawhi Leonard, who played 19+ minutes,
looked healthy (if rusty), made some threes, and is not listed on the injury
report for today’s game. Kawhi’s presence, even at a non-star level, was
apparent, as he added size, further defense, and perimeter shooting to the
Clippers right away. Kawhi will need time to knock off the fact he hasn’t
played NBA basketball consistently in 10 months, but the debut was very much on
par with reasonable expectations. The cherry on top of the Kawhi sundae was the
simultaneous return of Terance Mann from a month-long absence, and Mann played
excellently on both ends of the court. The Clippers will certainly not remain
at full strength like they are now, but hopefully they have a run of good
health luck for a few weeks at least to build up some much-needed reps with
Kawhi.
The
Antagonist
The
Timberwolves have, despite flashes of brilliance, remained stuck in neutral
this season. The Wolves sit squarely at .500 with a 17-17 record, boasting the 9th
best defense in the NBA but only the 21st ranked offense. That makes
them a similar-esque team to the defense-leaning Clippers – yet the Wolves had
much higher expectations entering the season. While Anthony Edwards has been
very good, he hasn’t made the leap to true-blue superstar that many thought he
would. Combine that with Julius Randle struggling to fit in, Jaden McDaniels
regressing, and Mike Conley’s age catching up to him, and you have a solid but
mediocre team more than 40% of the way through the season. There’s some heat on
Chris Finch’s head coaching spot, Randle is being talked about in trades
constantly, and Wolves fans are not happy with the lack of progression. It has
not been a fun season in Minneapolis.
Notes
Kawhi Minutes Restriction: Kawhi Leonard was capped at 20 minutes in his season debut on Saturday and got to just under that mark in the blowout win. It’s unclear how long he will have a minutes restriction of 20 per game, or if he’s able to progress little by little. I’d expect him to be in that 20-minute range again in this one. Against the Hawks, Kawhi got to about 20 minutes in the first three quarters, and would not have played the 4th even if the game was close. In a game that will probably be closer than the Hawks rout, it will be interesting to see if Ty Lue conserves Kawhi’s minutes to save a few for down the stretch, or if he uses them all up by the 3rd quarter again to give Leonard more normal 5-7 minute rotations in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters.
No Bamba: The rotations were a bit all over the place against the Hawks due to not only Kawhi’s return but also Terance’s Mann’s first appearance in a month, but the most obvious rotation choice was the DNP-CD for Mo Bamba. Mo has provided the Clippers with very little offensively in his two months in the rotation outside of the occasional three-pointer or offensive rebound, and has been just “ok” on defense. Ty’s decision to go small in the second unit was not a surprising one, but he might play Mo against the Wolves just because they play big and physically most of the time. If there was ever a game to use Mo situationally, it would be this one. If he doesn’t suit up against the Timberwolves, well, he’s probably pretty firmly out of the Clippers’ healthy rotation at this point.
The Turnover Battle: The biggest frustration for Clippers’ fans this season has been the team’s careless turnovers. The Clippers rank 29th in turnover percentage, ranking ahead of only the hapless Utah Jazz. Well, the Timberwolves aren’t much better, coming in at 24th in the NBA at taking care of the basketball. As both teams struggle in general offensively, it stands to reason that the team that turns the ball over least will have a major, major edge, as it will enable them to get out in transition more and out of turgid halfcourt play. Turnovers are always important, but they might prove mission-critical in this one.
Clippers vs. Timberwolves Preview: Continuing the Good Kawhi Vibes
Robert Flom