Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from loss to LA Clippers

The Minnesota Timberwolves finally showed up on the offensive end of the floor, but the defense couldn’t slow down a hot-shooting LA Clippers squad.

Minnesota Timberwolves offense improves but can’t keep up with LA Clippers

The Wolves came into the game No. 26 in the league in offensive rating. On the flipside, the defense was No. 6 in the league.

Things were turned on their head in this one, with the Wolves scoring 115 points but giving up 126. Truthfully, the defense itself wasn’t all that bad, and the likes of Paul George, Nicolas Batum, and Reggie Jackson were simply scorching hot.

The Clippers shot 60.3 percent from the field and a whopping 58.3 percent from 3-point range on the night. Batum was 6-for-8 on threes, Jackson was 7-for-9, and George was 4-for-8 from deep and 11-of-18 overall from the field.

Minnesota was mostly able to keep pace, with a couple of bursts from Anthony Edwards and another solid all-around game from Towns, although the Clippers had a strong plan to slow down the latter by bracketing him with defenders on every catch below the free throw line.

The Wolves were down by four at halftime but fell back by 15 at the start of the fourth quarter. They were able to get within eight midway through the final frame, but some careless turnovers and a few too many open 3-point makes by the Clippers down the stretch put things out of reach.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from loss to LA Clippers

Let’s look at a couple of key individual performances from the game.

Jarred Vanderbilt: A-

13 points (6-13 FG, 0-1 3P, 1-1 FT), 8 rebounds, one assist

Vanderbilt did not start the game but was part of the lineup that got the Wolves to back within a couple of possessions, ultimately playing 27 minutes on the night. He provided the energy and rebounding that head coach Chris Finch was seeking, and did an all-around solid job defensively when matched up against Paul George.

Vanderbilt played some extended minutes next to Jaden McDaniels, who slid down to the 3, and the pairing was effective alongside Karl-Anthony Towns.

Karl-Anthony Towns: B+

18 points (6-16 FG, 3-8 3P, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists

Towns had another solid all-around game. He was the focal point of the Clippers’ defense, however, and they did whatever they could to keep him from getting into anything resembling a rhythm.

Every time that Towns caught the ball below the free throw line, he was bracketed by a big and a wing. It was an aggressive, blitz-style coverage as well, which kept him from easily finding open shooters on the perimeter. Still, KAT handled it well for the most part and knocked down a couple of tough shots in the post and open threes when the opportunities presented themsleves.

Malik Beasley: B

14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3P), 2 rebounds, one assist, one steal

This was a solid bounce-back performance from Beasley, who struggled mightily against the Magic on Monday, and save for one solid game against Denver last Saturday, has had a rough start to the season.

Beasley hit a couple of big shots early in the game to keep the Wolves close and was active late as they were trying to stage their comeback. It goes without saying that they’ll need his instant offense off the bench moving forward, and this was a step in the right direction.

The Wolves will look to get back to the .500 mark on Friday, taking on these same Clippers at Target Center once again.