Minnesota beat the Clippers 127-101 at Target Center on Friday for its first win since Anthony Edwards went down with his right knee injury. The Clippers never got more than three points in front, and the Wolves stretched the lead to 29.
Ten After One
The game turned early. Minnesota won the first quarter 34-24, led 69-56 at the half and took a 98-81 lead into the fourth. LaMelo Ball set the tone from the perimeter and made 6 of 15 threes for the night. Ayo Dosunmu added 15 on 3-of-4 shooting from deep, and Bones Hyland gave the bench 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes. The reserves combined for 49, and the starters scored 76.
The Push and the Reply
The only real test came across the quarter break. The Clippers ran off 11 straight points, starting with 27 seconds left in the third, and cut a 98-79 deficit to 98-90 with 8:30 to play. Chris Finch called timeout at 98-88, and the response was decisive: an 8-0 run made it 106-90 by the 7:21 mark, then a 15-0 run between 6:32 and 2:54 made it 121-92. Ball, McDaniels, Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert and Jaylen Clark played the last five minutes of the contest. Ball scored nine in the fourth, McDaniels six and Dosunmu five. Clark finished with the best plus-minus on the team, plus-23 in 17 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga had the lowest of the listed Wolves, plus-1 in 22 minutes.
Grades, Then San Antonio
McDaniels earns an A. He missed only four of 15 shots, made seven assists and was plus-22, the kind of two-way night this roster needs while Edwards is sidelined. Ball gets a B: 24 points and seven assists against two turnovers, though it took him 20 shots. Gobert earns a B-plus with 13 rebounds, four assists and a plus-18, the defensive anchor on a night the Clippers managed 101. The win moves Minnesota to 4-2 and seventh in the West, level with Dallas for sixth and two games clear of 11th. San Antonio comes next on Saturday. The Spurs are 3-2, have won three straight and will be without Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance. Milwaukee visits Target Center on November 2.
Who led the Timberwolves in scoring against the Clippers?
LaMelo Ball led Minnesota with 24 points and made six threes. Jaden McDaniels added 23 on 11-of-15 shooting.
When do the Timberwolves play next?
Minnesota plays at San Antonio on October 31. The Wolves then host Milwaukee on November 2.
