LOS ANGELES – With just over two seconds left before halftime in the Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, Russell Westbrook found himself trapped underneath the basket, frantically scanning the court to find an open man.
After a quick peek over his right shoulder, he found a wide-open James Harden, who sailed the ball over the hands of a soaring Jaden McDaniel, and nailed a three-pointer to end the half, triggering an eruption from the crowd.Harden’s three-pointer capped off an 8-0 Clippers run and put them up 53-49 going into halftime.
But the momentum quickly faded on the other side of the break.
The Timberwolves came out hot in the second half and regained the lead in fewer than two minutes. LA kept the game close throughout the middle of the quarter, but as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third, the Clippers found themselves down 89-72 after getting outscored 40-19 in those 12 minutes. The Clippers would eventually fall 121-100.
The Clippers’ downfall ultimately came from the Timberwolves’ biggest strengths: size and defense. Clipper starting center Ivica Zubac, who recently returned from a calf strain, received just 23 minutes in this game. Those minutes, however, were often when the game was closest, including when the Clippers stormed back from 10-down late in the second quarter, a testament to how desperately this team needs Zubac to be fully healthy again. In the stretches where Zubac was on the bench, the Timberwolves utilized their size advantage on the interior, which allowed them to build their lead.
Much like the first matchup between these two teams—when the Timberwolves came out on top in a tighter 109-105 game—the Clippers’ failed to match the Timberwolves’ aggression and interior play. In that game, The Timberwolves dominated the Clippers on the inside and outscored them 64-42 in the paint.
Timberwolves’ guard Anthony Edwards was especially assertive in the second half, where he scored 17 of his 23 total points and created several trips to the free-throw line for himself.
“In the first half I thought we did a good job blitzing him, taking it out of [Edwards’] hands early,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said.
“Then in the second half, they adjusted and played more one-on-one, they kept him out of the pick-and-roll, he attacked us on a one-on-one point of attack and we weren’t able to slow him down.”
The Timberwolves’ offensive adjustments gave them the boost they needed in the second half, but the Clippers’ inability to find good matchups on all areas of the court throughout proved even more detrimental. When the Clippers play teams that have both size and solid perimeter defenders, such as when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have struggled to find multiple ways to score, despite having some success with a “small ball” lineup. This trend continued against the Timberwolves.
“The first half wasn’t any better [than the second],” said Lue. “We just got lucky and went on a little run at the end of the second quarter, but, just attention to detail. I thought our physicality wasn’t there, and they played better than we did. "
It was also an off-night for the Clippers’ stars. As a team, the Clippers barely shot above 40% from the field and the T’wolves held usual contributors like Paul George and James Harden to fewer than 20 points. Even Kawhi Leonard, who has been practically unstoppable as of late, shot under 50% from the field and scored only 18 points. Those numbers aren’t enough to beat a team like the Timberwolves.
While the loss was disappointing for the Clippers, they can at least leave with clear schematic problems to fix moving forward. Lue and his coaching staff need to find a solution for the team’s struggles in the interior if they hope to make a deep run in the playoffs. Additionally, the Clippers need to find a more consistent way of creating better scoring opportunities against good defensive teams like the Timberwolves and Cavaliers, especially when their stars are having off-nights.
Despite the loss, Clippers players remain hopeful for the rest of the season and a trip to the championship remains in their minds.
“We’re right there,” said Leonard in a press conference Monday night. “We’ve been winning games, as everybody’s seen, and like I said before there’s a way for us to get better and that’s what’s scary. We start[ed] gelling a little late, and now’s the time to turn it around.”
Although the Clippers will have a much-needed break with the All-Star weekend coming up, they’ll first have to travel to San Francisco to take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.