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Clippers vs Timberwolves Preview: Showdown in Minny
The Clippers are playing well, but will face one of their toughest tests of the season on the road against the Western Conference leading Timberwolves.
Game Information
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: 4:00 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Paul George – Terance Mann – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Timberwolves: Mike Conley – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Karl Anthony Towns – Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Clippers: Moussa Diabate Out (Hand)
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards Questionable (Knee), Jaylen Clark Out (Achilles)
The Big Picture
The Clippers continue to make believers out of skeptics. Now
25-13 and with a top five Net Rating in the NBA, they are getting buzz as true
contenders once more. That is not to say they don’t have flaws. Their offense
can still get stagnant and jumpshot-happy. Their transition defense is slow at
times. Their defensive rebounding is frequently subpar. However, they keep
winning games through stretches of dominance and enough competence and effort the
rest of the time to keep leads afloat or remain within striking distance. It is
a serious, professional, and hard-playing team, and those aren’t things we’ve
bee able to say for most of the 213 era.
The Antagonist
The Wolves sit at 1st in the Western Conference with a sparkling 27-11 record. They have reached this height through good health (of their top 8 in the rotation, only McDaniels has missed more than 3 games) and through defense. The Wolves boast the best defense in the NBA by a wide margin, holding a defensive rating of 108.3. This is 2.5 points better/lower than the 2nd ranked Sixers, and if you go 2.5 points down from the Sixers, you go all the way to the 10th ranked Grizzlies. The defense makes sense when you consider Rudy Gobert at center, Jaden McDaniels on the perimeter, and size and length across the roster. The Wolves’ offense, however, is just 20th in the NBA, as they lack shooting and consistent perimeter creation outside of Edwards. Still, their defense alone makes them a highly formidable opponent.
Notes
Who Does Gobert Guard: The Wolves play their two big man lineup of Towns and Gobert, which has been a boon to their rebounding and defense (though a detriment at times on offense). The Clippers play four perimeter players, which means one of those two guys will have to defend a Clippers guard or wing. My guess would be that Gobert is put on Terance Mann while Towns guards Zubac, enabling Gobert to roam. The Clippers saw this defense in the 2021 playoffs – and we all know what happened there. The Wolves’ perimeter defenders are much better than that Jazz grouping, so the Wolves can probably get away with it more. If Mann isn’t hitting on threes or punishing Gobert (or Towns), we might see a heavy dose of the “Powell Rangers” unit in this one to add more shooting and spacing.
Stopping Ant: The Wolves have some very good players, but their offense relies heavily on Anthony Edwards for perimeter creation. Edwards is still not the best decision-maker, and his shooting can be streaky, but he’s an explosive scorer and a guy who can be nearly impossible to stop when his shot is falling. Fortunately, the Clippers have a bevy of players to throw at him. I’d imagine Terance Mann gets first crack to prevent wear on Kawhi and George, but both of those guys probably get cracks on Ant as well. Even Russ is big and strong enough to hang with Ant. He might have a dominant game anyway, but the Clippers have the personnel to make his life hard.
Clippers vs Timberwolves Preview: Showdown in Minny
Robert Flom