The Minnesota Timberwolves got one of their best wins of the season Wednesday night when they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers by 16 points, winning 107-91 at the Target Center.
Clippers Keep Things Close in the First Half
Blake Griffin scored the first two points, of 16 total, of the game 12 seconds into the proceedings in what would be the only advantage the Clippers would have throughout the evening. Minnesota blew the game wide open during the next few minutes as they went on an impressive 15-0 run. A plethora of starters got involved during this stretch of time in the first quarter, Ricky Rubio played provider, Karl-Anthony Towns was a threat around the rim, controlling DeAndre Jordan, limiting him to two points, and Gorgui Dieng finished off the run with an emphatic slam.
The 21-year-old Towns finished the game as the leading scoring with 29 on 14-for-25 shooting, making only one attempt behind three-point line, while bringing in 14 rebounds to complete the double-double. In the next two to three years, Towns is going to be the focal point of the Timberwolves' offense, they will only go as far as the former Kentucky Wildcat will take them.
It looked as if, in the second quarter, that L.A. was going to get back into this contest. They clawed their way back, finally finding their rhythm on offense with the second unit playing. The Clippers kept digging themselves out of double-digit deficits three-pointers, like the one from J.J. Redick hit to trim the lead to nine and free throws, like the one's Jordan made to make it 52-41. Then, with the clock winding down to zero, Chris Paul nailed a 46-foot three-point shot to get Los Angeles within only three points.
Minnesota Takes Control of the Game in the Third
Los Angeles, though, struggled immensely in the third quarter of play. During the final three minutes and 30 seconds of the third quarter, the Clippers scored only one point, a Brandon Bass made free throw. The Timberwolves scored eight points, pushing their advantage back into double-digits, taking a 82-68 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
From then on, though, Minnesota never let up and managed to cruise through the final quarter without ever really breaking a sweat and they improve to 26-37 on the season.
Coming Up
This was a night to forget for the Clippers, two of their starting five -- Jordan and Paul -- failed to eclipse the 10 point mark on the night. They will look to rebound tomorrow night when they face off against the always-stingy Memphis Grizzlies.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, meanwhile, will face another stern test in two nights in Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.