Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves lead wire-to-wire in win over Clippers

The Timberwolves continued to alternate wins with losses by beating the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in three days on Wednesday night.

Following a disappointing road loss to a previously-reeling Memphis Grizzlies squad on Monday night, the Timberwolves flew out to L.A. for a one-game West Coast swing and beat the Clippers for the second time in just over 72 hours.

The Wolves led from start to finish, although it certainly wasn’t easy. The Clippers never drew closer than one possession in the second quarter before the Wolves 13-point halftime lead. Minnesota extended their lead to as many as 19 points in the third quarter, but then things got a little bit interesting.

The Clippers made a big push towards the end of the third quarter and took the momentum heading into the final frame on a Lou Williams buzzer-beating 3-pointer that drew L.A. to within eight points as the fourth quarter began.

The Wolves failed to expand their lead while the Clippers chipped away, leading to a one possession game with just four-and-a-half minutes to play. From there, however, the Timberwolves used an 8-0 run to all but put the game away.

Tweet of the Night

Key Takeaways

• The Wolves starters were once again killed by Thibs from a minutes perspective; all five played 36 minutes or more with Jimmy Butler leading the way with 43.
• Nemanja Bjelica is still out and Shabazz Muhammad received yet another DNP-CD. Gorgui Dieng (21 minutes), Jamal Crawford (17 minutes), and Tyus Jones (11 minutes) were your bench, and they played fairly well for the most part.
• The Wolves continued to up the instances in which Butler had the ball in his hands. That lead to another big game, and a return to gaudy assist numbers.
• Karl-Anthony Towns played solid defense in this one, and other than a few rough decisions made when he was double-teamed, did a great job scoring over one-on-one defenders. His 21 points and 12 rebounds were relatively quiet, but there was a stretch in the second half when he simply dominated the game. And in a strange twist, his fourth quarter defense was stellar.

Player of the Game

Jimmy Butler: 19 points (7-12 FG, 0-2 3P, 5-5 FT), 8 assists, 8 rebounds, one turnover

Butler had another great game. This time around, he wasn’t forcing up shots but took on more of a facilitator role. And with Andrew Wiggins needing 16 shots to score 16 points, the Wolves needed Butler to be creative in getting the ball to Towns and Taj Gibson (16 points on 7-of-10 shooting).

Notable Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 21 points (9-14 FG, 0-2 3P, 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals, 4 turnovers
• Andrew Wiggins: 16 points (7-16 FG, 1-3 3P, 1-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
• Jeff Teague: 19 points (6-14 FG, 4-7 3P, 3-3 FT), 7 assists, 3 rebounds, one steal, 3 turnovers
• Taj Gibson: 16 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3P, 6-6 FT), 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, one turnover

As mentioned, Towns was a force on defense with his four blocks and two steals. His four turnovers all came early in the game and included two 3-in-the-key calls.

Wiggins had a poor night but came up with a big cut to the rim and a dunk in the fourth quarter that helped stem the tide. Quietly, Jeff Teague had his best game in awhile, hitting some big 3-pointers and still coming up with seven assists on the night.

Gibson was awesome once again, scoring 10 quick first quarter points while the Clippers were loading up on Butler and Towns. Once again, there was a sketchy third quarter stretch that featured Jamal Crawford jacking up contested long-twos, but the Wolves made it out relatively unscathed.

Next: The frustration that is Tom Thibodeau's stubbornness

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves will return to Minneapolis and finally enjoy a few consecutive days off; they don’t play again until Sunday evening against the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off for that one is at 6:00 p.m. CT at Target Center.