The Minnesota Timberwolves handed the Los Angeles Clippers a nasty 118-100 defeat at Crypto.com Arena, covering a 22-point first-half deficit against the team. Though the Clippers seemed favorites to win this matchup at home, the game quickly swung in favor of the Wolves in the second quarter after Kawhi Leonard’s abrupt exit. Leonard got only 12 minutes of floor time, exiting the game because of back spasms.
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The T-Wolves trimmed the Clippers’ 22-point advantage to eight by halftime, later stretching their own lead to 12 by the end of the fourth quarter. Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Walker-Alexander were vital figures in this blowout Minnesota victory, scoring 37 points on 51.7% shooting and 28 points from 90% shooting, respectively.
The Clippers were clearly disappointed with this loss against the third-seeded Timberwolves, marking their second consecutive loss since the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. When the Clippers beat reporter, Tomer Azarly, asked Paul George for his comments on the game in a post-game locker room interview, the veteran had some words to spare about this disappointing loss at home.
George told Azarly, “For the most part, it’s been the same Achilles heel we’ve been having. It’s giving up offensive rebounds…Transition, we were good to start the season off, but we’ve had slippage there. But I think more than anything, we got to give a little bit more effort.” Azarly later uploaded a snippet of this interaction on his X (formerly Twitter) page.
PG basically said that the Clips needed to be more aggressive and hustle more for points in the post. They are in a good spot before the playoffs, so there has been a lack of effort noticeable at times as the season nears an end.
George, however, refused to elaborate on the issues the Clippers have been facing in the league this month. But to make sense of what he said, the team did fall from grace mid-season when they had almost clinched the first seed in the Western Conference. Though the Clippers remain in contention for a top playoff spot, George’s reflection highlights that the Clippers need a lot of work to improve their chances as a proper title-contending team.
The Clippers have fallen off from their late resurgence
The Clippers had started emerging as an unstoppable force, thanks to their offense led by the Big Four of their roster. Until the All-Star break, the LA side was a top seed in the Western Conference, finishing games with a consistent streak of wins on a nightly basis. However, off late, the Clippers have stumbled and lost their focus as they eye to finish the regular season on a high note. Perhaps this sudden slump in form might have to do with the abrupt loss of Russell Westbrook from the roster.
Westbrook has been ruled out indefinitely by the Clippers after he underwent surgery for a fractured left hand. This marked the first time Westbrook missed any of the games this season. Westbrook’s absence has been quite detrimental for the Clippers, given he was a key contributor off the bench.
However, hope isn’t all gone for the team, as Russell Westbrook has a great history of returning after hand injuries. The last time Westbrook suffered from a right-hand fracture in 2014, he returned to the floor within a month, missing just 14 games. The Clippers might expect the veteran guard to return to the floor for the postseason to boost their chances to run deep into the playoffs.
