Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

The Minnesota Timberwolves look to bounce back from a deflating loss last time out with the first of two consecutive home games against the LA Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers: Odds, injuries, what to watch for

The Wolves sit at 3-3 this season, with two fo their three losses coming against some of the league’s worst competition.

Last Monday, the Wolves feel to a Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans team in ugly fashion. They followed that up by scoring 44 points in the first quarter en route to a road win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

This time, the loss was even worse: an 18-point shellacking at the hands of the Orlando Magic, arguably the NBA’s worst team. It was a game that the Wolves led by as many as 13 and had multiple double-digit leads throughout the night before falling apart entirely in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers are just 2-4, but Paul George has been phenomonal. With Kawhil Leonard out indefinitely and the makeup of the Clippers roster a bit different than a year ago, PG13 has taken over, scoring 28.3 points per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the floor and 41.1 percent from 3-point range.

LA is coming off a five-point road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves odds vs. LA Clippers

Understandably, WynnBet has the Clippers favored by 2.5 points. The Wolves will be without D’Angelo Russell and have lost two in a row, including the particularly disheartening blowout loss on Monday night.

TV and streaming info for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers

• Tip-off: 7:00 CT
• Television: Bally Sports North
• Radio: 830 WCCO
• Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options

What to watch for in Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers

There have been a surprising number of similarities between the Wolves and Clippers so far this season.

Through play on Tuesday, the Timberwolves are No. 8 in defensive rating and No. 24 in offensive rating. The Clippers are No. 6 in defense and No. 27 in offense.

Taking it a step further, Minnesota is No. 1 in 3-point attempts per game and just No. 25 in percentage made. LA is No. 4 in attempts and No. 22 in percentage. The Wolves are No. 30 in defensive rebounding percentage while the Clippers sit at No. 25, although LA is a much worse offensive rebounding team than the Wolves.

Besides George, the Clippers have struggled to score. It’s not too dissimilar from the struggles the Wolves have had scoring the ball with efficiency from anyone not named Karl-Anthony Towns. Yes, Anthony Edwards is scoring 23.2 points per game, but his splits of 40.5 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from 3-point range pale in comparison to Towns’ ridiculous marks of 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

If the Wolves can keep the Clippers’ non-George players, especially Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard, from having big games from the perimeter or getting to the free throw line with regularity, this is another winnable game for the Wolves.

The Clippers will be at Target Center again on Friday, so it is imperative that the Wolves manage to win at least one of their two contests against LA before the hit the road for a West Coast swing.

Injury report for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Orlando Magic

Russell sprained his ankle late in the first half on Monday and is listed as out for Wednesday’s game. The Wolves also have Patrick Beverley listed as questionable, although he reportedly practiced in full on Tuesday.

The Clippers are of course without Leonard, and veterans Serge Ibaka and Marcus Morris remain out as well.

We’ll be back after the game with reaction, including key takeaways from Wolves-Clippers. Here’s to 4-3!