Wolves vs Clippers Final Score: Wolves get a much needed win

After a short break for Thanksgiving, the Minnesota Timberwolves were right back in action Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Wolves came into the game having lost seven of their last night’s games including their current four game losing streak.

Before the game, Wolves coach Chris Finch spoke to the media about how far his team is from getting back to being a winning basketball team again.

“Looking at it, we’re not a million miles away from where we want to be, where we need to be. We definitely have to avoid putting ourselves in the holes that we put ourselves in during periods of play. But we make these comebacks give ourselves a chance to win and you know a team that’s really sick to the core they don’t make those comebacks there is something positive to take away.”

Fighting back from poor play early in games has been one of the lone bright spots for Wolves, but they looked to break the recent pattern of going down, coming back and then falling short with inconsistent play late in the game.

The Clippers were without two of their better players, Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell. They were replaced in the lineup by two names that Wolves fans could recognize, former Timberwolf Kris Dunn, and former Minnesota Golden Gophers star Amir Coffey.

The Wolves got off to a good start, taking an early eight-point lead including 3-pointers from four of the Wolves’ five starters. The solid offensive run would be short-lived as the Wolves would go scoreless for a nearly four-minute stretch, allowing the Clippers to cut the Wolves lead to just one at the end of the first quarter.

After LA took a one-point lead early in the second quarter, Nickeil Alexander-Walker would pull the Wolves out of the mud, scoring seven quick points along with a beautiful assist to Rudy Gobert to put the Wolves up 11.

Nine turnovers by the Wolves in the first half would prevent them from building a bigger lead, but the Wolves would lead 53-47 at the half.

The turnovers would continue to start the second half as Minnesota would commit five turnovers in less than three minutes, bringing their total to 14, two short of their season average of 15.7 per possession. match.

With the Wolves up by just three points, Edwards would start to heat up and make back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Wolves’ lead up to nine.

The Wolves would turn it over three more times down the stretch of the third quarter, including going scoreless over the final three and a half minutes. After being down by as many as 11, the Clippers trimmed the Wolves lead to 72-68 at the end of three quarters.

Nicolas Batum, who has often been a thorn in Minnesota’s side, would hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, giving him four for the game and tying the game at 80-80.

As the offense struggled to find an effective shot, Donte DiVincenzo hit a long-range bomb off the glass to give the Wolves the lead back.

The Wolves would build the lead to as high as seven, but the Clippers, as they did all game, battled back and went on a 10-0 run, including an and-1 3-pointer from James Harden, giving them a 90- 87 led with four minutes remaining.

Unlike many past performances, the Wolves didn’t crumble down the stretch and held the Clippers to just two points the rest of the game, allowing an Edwards 5-0 run to give them the lead.

With the Wolves ahead by one, a crazy sequence ensued in which the Clippers chose not to foul to give themselves the ball back. The Wolves took advantage by securing two offensive rebounds to run out the rest of the clock.

On their teeth, the Timberwolves secured a 93-92 victory over the Clippers, snapping their four-game losing streak.

Edwards led the way for Minnesota with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Gobert, who played nearly 43 minutes, scored eight points, grabbed 12 rebounds and was dominant defensively in the paint. Harden scored 20 points with the Wolves, making him work for all of those points. He finished 7-20 from the field including three 3-pointers.

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Key takeaways

Matt Krohn-Imagn photos

Finding a way to win

Coming into the game, the Timberwolves had lost seven of their previous nine games, including each of the last four. Although much of the game wasn’t pretty, winning by any means possible was the most important aspect for a struggling Wolves side.

In many of Wolves’ recent losses, they have had late-game leads and have been unable to get the game over the line with a win. Tonight, despite a staggering 22 turnovers, they were able to hang on in a game that appeared to be on the brink of disaster.

Finch spoke after the game about getting back into the win column after their recent losing streak.

“We needed a win any way we could get it. We stepped up defensively pretty much all night. That’s what we need to be, especially until we can fix some things on offense right now.”

Edwards talked in the locker room about many of the hustle plays, especially from Naz Reid, that helped them win in a situation that has so often been a loss for the Timberwolves this season.

“It’s winning games. We talked as a team about how we want to win and change it and get back to who we are defensively. These are things we have to do over and over and over again, no matter how tiring, how exhausting it is. As a group, I asked them after the game, how bad do we want to win? If we want to win, we’re going to do shit every game.”

The Wolves are still not playing at the level they are capable of. There are aspects of this game, both schematic and otherwise, that need to be worked out in time, including backup point guard and center minutes, that remain an issue.

For better or worse, professional sports are all about results, and for at least one night, the Timberwolves got the result they needed, a win.

An avalanche of turnovers

The Timberwolves turned the ball over 22 times, including a staggering nine in the third quarter, allowing the Clippers to hang on in a game where the Wolves outplayed them for large stretches.

It wasn’t just the high number that stood out, but the fact that all eight players in the Wolves rotation turned the ball over at least once with every player but Naz Reid turning it over more times.

In the locker room after the game, NAW was asked what it will take to limit the turnovers that have been a problem all season.

“I think you get a feel. Patience. Tonight it was like we were trying to find guys. So I think that’s the main thing, to be a little more patient, settle down, investigate, maybe get the game going a bit sooner. Feeling it a little late, that sort of thing.”

Finch also talked about what causes the turnover problems and the best ways they can solve them.

“I think two things, you know, a little over-dribbling again. And then we just get static, like five guys around the perimeter, and there’s nobody really getting us into the next action basketball. And that puts the defense right where it needs to be.And when we go, for example, you read the passing lanes or dig into the drive, so there is a need for more structure.

The Clippers were only able to score 23 points off of Wolves turnovers, Edwards touched on how they were able to limit the Clippers in transition.

“Get back, match up, talk. Get Rudy back to the paint, match up, talk Rudy down, get him to the paint. He did a good job protecting the rim tonight. Transition is effort. We’re making effort tonight. “

Entering the night, the Wolves were 20th in limiting turnovers on offense, a mark that will only get worse after tonight’s game.

It’s hard to pinpoint one reason for the high number of turnovers given the team-wide nature of the issues, but it stands out as low-hanging fruit for the Wolves to quickly address their offensive woes this season.

Matt Krohn-Imagn photos

Rudy Gobert’s quiet defensive dominance

As is so often the case with Gobert’s best games, his dominance cannot be seen in a simple box score. Gobert played nearly 43 minutes in the game and locked down the paint defensively the entire game.

Gobert made Harden’s life especially difficult when driving to the basket, limiting him to just four points in the paint, something that often opens up the rest of the floor for Harden.

After the game, Gobert talked about himself and the Wolves making it difficult for Harden all night.

“I mean, it’s a team effort. He’s a very smart player, very skilled. I had to make sure I mixed it up with him because every time I did something, the next time he expected me to had to do the same. So it’s always kind of a grind with him. Most of the time, my teammates have my back. And all the guys guarding him one-on-one did an incredible job with getting him to work, so just a great team effort.”

The four-time Defensive Player of the Year has had an up-and-down start to the season as he continues to get used to playing with many of his new teammates, especially his frontcourt teammate Julius Randle, who is a very different type of defender compared to Karl-Anthony Towns.

As the Wolves look to regain at least some of what made them such a defensive force last season, it’s a good sign to see Gobert completely change what opposing offenses are capable of doing close to the basket.

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Next

The Timberwolves finish their four-game homestand with a matchup with fellow team Tinseltown, the Los Angeles Lakers. The game starts at 7:00 PM CT, where fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network North and NBA TV.

After that game, the Wolves embark on a California road trip, including another matchup with the Clippers in the new Intuit Dome. They close the road trip with two games against Golden State Warriors.

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Game highlights