LA Clippers and T-Wolves meet up in Western Conference showcase

The LA Clippers look to begin a new winning streak as they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Staples Center.

After winning six straight games, the LA Clippers fell to the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Allowing 125 points, it was one of LA’s worst defensive performances of the season. But there’s one really great thing about the NBA. There’s another game soon after, and you can throw horrendous games like that into the past. That’s what the Clippers (23-22) hope to do tonight.

The Minnesota Timberwolves (30-18) will be in town, and this game will have playoff implications on the line. For the T-Wolves, they currently find themselves as the third seed in the west. However, they are tied with the Spurs, so a loss would have them fall to the fourth seed. The Clippers currently sit right at the edge, at eight. With only a 1/2 game lead over the Nuggets, it’s imperative the Clippers keep winning to stay afloat.

This is the third time the teams will square off this season, let’s see how they fared in the previous match-ups.

Timberwolves 112 | Clippers 106

Behind 33 points from newly-acquired guard Jimmy Butler, the Wolves defeated LA by six points. Butler, who came over from Chicago in the offseason, scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the game. Taj Gibson had himself a game, as he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. In that game the Wolves played with a three-man bench, only getting 23 points from them.

For the Clippers, it was kind of a two-man show. Austin Rivers dropped 30, and Lou Williams had 23 and 10 assists. DeAndre Jordan had 17, but finished with a game low -14.

The strange thing is, the Clippers actually outshot the Timberwolves from the field. LA shot 50.7 percent and 44.1 percent from three, compared to Minnesota’s 43.2 percent and 30.8 percent from three. What won the game for the T’Wolves was their ability to get to the line. They were 28-31 (90.3%) from the line. They also out-rebounded the Clippers by eight, including six on the offensive boards.

Timberwolves 113 | Clippers 107

Both teams met up days later, and the scores were nearly identical. Unlike the last game, the Timberwolves got contributions from all their starters. Every starter finished with at least 16 points. Similar to the last game, the Clippers were led by Rivers and Williams, who scored 23 a piece. DJ had a monster game of 18 points and 21 rebounds.

Both teams shooting percentages were fairly similar, but Minnesota won the game on their ability to capitalize off of Clipper turnovers. The Wolves were able to turn nine LA turnovers into 24 points. That’s almost three points on every turnover committed. Compare that to the Clippers, who were only able to turn 15 turnovers into 10 points. That’s less than a point per turnover.

Tonight’s Matchup:

The Clippers once again will be without numerous players. Jordan is still out with his ankle injury, and Rivers and Danilo Gallinari still aren’t ready to come back yet. For the Wolves, they will be without Butler, who has played really well against the Clippers this season. They will also be without former Clipper and fan-favorite, Jamal Crawford.

Tonight’s game is at 7:30 p.m. PST.