 became the fifth Western Conference team to secure a postseason berth.Lou Williams added 20 points off the bench for the Clippers, who outscored Minnesota's reserves 53-25. Williams had 45 points the last time Los Angeles played at Target Center.The Clippers have won six in a row, the longest active streak in the NBA, and 10 of 11 overall.Los Angeles led by 25 before Minnesota trimmed the deficit to 104-98 in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Karl-Anthony Towns. It was the closest the Wolves had been since the first quarter.Towns led Minnesota with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins scored 22 and Dario Saric added 18.Montrezl Harrell helped the Clippers pull away after the Timberwolves got within single digits late in the game. Ten of his 18 points came after Minnesota made it a six-point game in the fourth quarter.Los Angeles, which entered as the second-most accurate 3-point shooting team in the NBA, thrived from deep. The Clippers shot 16 for 32 from downtown. Gallinari hit a team-high six 3s, which matched his season high.Minnesota was once again short-handed, as several key players - including Derrick Rose, Robert Covington and Jeff Teague - have been shut down for the remainder of the season.TIP-INSClippers: G Landry Shamet did not play due to an ankle injury. Shamet is averaging 11.2 points per game since he was traded to the Clippers in early February. Rivers said Shamet would've played if it were a playoff game. . Garrett Temple scored 15 points, his highest total since he was acquired by the Clippers in early February.Timberwolves: F Taj Gibson missed his third straight game with a calf injury. . Towns didn't convert his first field goal until there was 4:53 remaining in the third quarter. Before that, he was 0 for 7 from the floor. . Towns' double-double was his 50th of the season. . Minnesota was 20 of 33 from the free throw line.UP NEXTClippers: At the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.Timberwolves: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Mar 25, 2019The Los Angeles Clippers' climb up the ladder in the Western Conference standings will make its next stop at Minnesota against a Timberwolves team that just emerged from a losing streak.Hovering toward the bottom of playoff-eligible teams as recently as last week, the Clippers moved into the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference after a 124-113 victory Sunday at New York against the Knicks.With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Clippers are just two games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for fourth place in the conference at the start of play Monday. If they want to continue thinking big, they were three games out of third place.As the fifth-place team, the Clippers would avoid an opening-round series against any of the top three teams in the West, although they would be in line to face the Golden State Warriors in the second round."Keep playing the right way, keep growing as a team, keep getting better," Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell said after Sunday's victory over the Knicks. "We want to put ourselves in the best position we can to get into the playoffs. Taking one game at a time, hopefully get into the playoffs and make some noise. That's what it's about." That team growth will take a bit of a hit moving forward after rookie guard Landry Shamet came away with a left ankle impingement during Sunday's game. Shamet, who was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, is not expected to play Tuesday at Minnesota and could miss "a couple of games," according to head coach Doc Rivers.Shamet has scored 11.7 points per game in 18 contests (16 starts) with the Clippers. That total is more than two points better than his season average of 9.0 as the sharpshooter has been a key addition to the team's revamped roster.Shamet has joined another rookie in the Clippers' backcourt, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is in the midst of a string of seven consecutive double-digit scoring games, his longest such run this season."We got a good group," Clippers veteran guard Lou Williams said. "Mentally, we are a very mature team. The young guys that we have are mature beyond their ages. We are rolling and in a good rhythm right now. We got a good mix of guys." The Timberwolves were hoping to put together a good group around young players Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but the season got off to a rough start with Jimmy Butler's trade request, leading to the firing of coach Tom Thibodeau and last week's official elimination from playoff contention.Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Minnesota got 33 points and 23 rebounds from Towns on Saturday in a 112-99 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies that ended a five-game losing streak. Nobody in the NBA has more 30-20 games this season than Towns' three."It's a big sense of relief, in a way," interim Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders said of the road victory over the Grizzlies. "I've been part of younger groups before in Washington and earlier in Minnesota where, at the end of the year, it can get tough when younger guys are asked to do more. ... It's just good positive reinforcement." Minnesota forwards Taj Gibson (calf) and Luol Deng (Achilles) are day-to-day. Point guards Jeff Teague (foot) and Derrick Rose (elbow surgery) are done for the season.--Field Level Media
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