Timberwolves-Clippers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 19 2012 6:50PM

The Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves have long been recognized as two of the least successful franchises in the NBA.

While it's safe to say the Clippers have transformed themselves into one of the league's better teams, the Timberwolves have also made strides.

Los Angeles looks to extend its home winning streak to eight Friday night against a Minnesota team seeking a third consecutive victory for the first time in almost two years.

The Clippers, whose winning percentage of 31.4 over the previous four seasons ranks second lowest in the league in front of only the Timberwolves' 23.8, are enjoying plenty of success behind a revamped lineup.

The additions of former All-Stars Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups and most notably superstar point guard Chris Paul have turned Los Angeles (8-4) into a likely playoff contender.

Playing without Paul (strained left hamstring) for the third consecutive game, the Clippers - who've already posted wins over Miami and the Lakers - pulled out another impressive victory Wednesday. Billups scored 21 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with a second remaining to hand Dallas a 91-89 defeat.

"We beat a good team tonight without our best player, so it was big for us, confidence-wise," said guard Mo Williams, who returned from a three-game absence due to a sore right foot to score 26 points.

"For us, to be able to do these things that we're doing, we've got veteran guys that relish these moments."

Minnesota has won three of four after losing seven of its first 10, beating Detroit 93-85 on Wednesday to improve to 6-8. The Timberwolves didn't post their sixth win last season until game No. 23.

They trailed by seven after three quarters but limited the Pistons to 14 points over the final 12 minutes. Minnesota hasn't won three in a row since a four-game run Jan. 29-Feb. 6, 2010.

"We have a lot of fight in us," swingman Wes Johnson told the team's official website. "Last year we would have laid down a lot more. But I think at those points, the mindset has changed so much starting with training camp. I think that rolled into the season.

"We've got a lot of stuff to work on, but for our group I think our mindset is changing."

Much of the Timberwolves' success can be linked to a tremendous defensive improvement. Minnesota is giving up 92.5 points per game after allowing a league-worst 107.7 in 2010-11.

"It feels good. It's something that's been lacking the last few years," said Kevin Love, who posted his 14th straight double-double to start the season with 20 points and 17 rebounds Wednesday. "In games like this where it's ugly on the offensive end, we were still able to get the job done."

Love ranks near the top of the league with averages of 25.2 points and 14.5 boards, and he figures to match up with reigning rookie of the year Blake Griffin.

Griffin, averaging team bests of 21.3 points and 11.8 rebounds, had a season-high 17 boards versus the Mavericks.

Paul, averaging 21.1 points and 10.5 assists lifetime versus the Timberwolves, is uncertain to suit up Friday.

Minnesota's Michael Beasley has missed the last seven contests with a sprained right foot and didn't travel with the team as it begins a two-game trip.

Los Angeles has taken six of the last eight meetings in this series, winning all four at home by an average of 11.3 points.

Love hits 3 at buzzer, Timberwolves top Clippers

Posted Jan 21 2012 2:42AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Now that they are on their first three-game winning streak in almost two years, Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves are enjoying the ride.

Love hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer after Ricky Rubio's tying 3 with 20 seconds to play, lifting the Timberwolves to a pulsating 101-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

The Timberwolves, coming off consecutive home wins over Sacramento and Detroit, have won three straight for the first time since a four-game stretch from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, 2010. After that, they lost 29 of their final 31 games.

"In the last two games we've missed a ton of shots, but our defense has picked up and we've executed down the stretch and we've given ourselves a chance to win," Love said. "So if we can continue to do that, eventually our offense will pick up and we'll be able to win a lot of ballgames."

Darko Milicic had 22 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota before fouling out with 1:01 left, and Love had 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Rubio, Minnesota's rookie point guard, missed his first 10 field goal attempts before draining a clutch 3 from in front of the Clippers' bench. He finished with nine points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.

"He is unflappable. He missed every shot, and then he makes a big 3 to tie it," coach Rick Adelman said. "The thing I like about him is that he's a competitor. He doesn't back down from anybody and he keeps an even keel. He doesn't get too high or too low. He just plays. He's been very good all year. He's played in the fourth quarter of every game, even when he wasn't starting.

"He's got a real gift. He's a great passer in the open court and he's just a smart player. You've got to give him rope and let him go because he's got that ability. And because of him, we've really kind of changed and simplified things we've done just to put the ball in his hands. He's been better than I thought he was going to be."

Chauncey Billups missed a driving layup against Rubio coming out of a timeout, and Love got the rebound before Minnesota called a timeout with 1.5 seconds on the clock.

Luke Ridnour inbounded the ball in front of the midcourt line to a wide-open Love, whose only option was to catch and shoot from a few feet beyond the arc. The ball hit nothing but net as the sellout crowd groaned.

"Coach set up a great play for us. How I was that open, I don't really know, but I got a good look at it and I hit it," Love said. "I tried to hold up my hands as soon as I shot it, because it felt great when it left my hands. I knew it was in. For us to do that, especially out here in L.A., it's a big deal. The Clippers are a good team, and we just want to catch up and try to get back to .500."

Love's shot snapped the Clippers' seven-game home winning streak.

"I got triple-screened and he made the shot," Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said. "He's a great player and he's going to make shots. I have to try to keep a hand in his face and make it tough on him. We didn't finish the game like we were supposed to. We let them hang around, and we got beat."

Mo Williams scored 21 of his 25 points off the bench in the first half for the Clippers before getting ejected midway through the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Billups finished with 20 points after getting into early foul trouble. Point guard Chris Paul missed his fourth straight game because of a left hamstring strain.

Williams received his second technical foul with 6:21 remaining, after he was called for fouling Rubio on a drive to the basket as Rubio lost his footing.

"I felt like it was a questionable call," Williams said. "I didn't say anything. I just reacted to it - not in the direction of the referee, but towards our bench. I was surprised the technical was called, and it was at a crucial point in the game."

The Timberwolves closed to 91-90 with 4:37 remaining after four consecutive free throws by Rubio. Billups responded with a 3-pointer and two free throws for a 98-94 Clippers lead.

Clippers forward Caron Butler, who shot a career-worst 1 for 12 on Wednesday night in a 91-89 win over Dallas after hyperextending his right knee the previous night at Utah, did not play against the Timberwolves.

"Obviously, they were a different team tonight because they didn't have Chris or Caron," Love said. "It was a big break for us when Mo got ejected because he was really on a roll."

Michael Beasley missed his eighth straight game for the Timberwolves due to a sprained right foot. Reserve guard JJ Barea was back in Minnesota nursing a sprained ankle that also will keep him out of Saturday night's game at Utah. Center Brad Miller and guard Martell Webster, both of whom resumed practice this week, also didn't dress.

The Timberwolves, whose only other lead came after Milicic's game-opening basket, opened the third quarter with a 12-1 run that sliced an 11-point deficit to 62-60.

Notes: Billups overtook Peja Stojakovic for fourth place in career 3-pointers (1,762). Ahead of him are Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Jason Kidd. ... An MRI taken Thursday on Butler's knee revealed no structural damage. It was the same knee he had surgery on last January, which sidelined him for the rest of the season, but coach Vinny Del Negro said this injury was not related. ... Adelman's teams are 61-20 against the Clippers, his best mark against any club.

Notebook: Timberwolves 101, Clippers 98

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 21, 2012 2:46AM

THE FACTS: A last-second 3-pointer settled a game inside Staples Center for the third time in the last five days, but this time it wasn't the home team that escaped with a victory, as Minnesota forward Kevin Love sank the winning basket as the buzzer sounded, lifting the Timberwolves to a 101-98 victory against the Clippers.

QUOTABLE: "Usually big guys won't get out there and Kevin has great range as you saw. With a second and a half to go, we thought that was our best opportunity for a wide-open look."
--Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman.

THE STAT: The Timberwolves came into the game 0-5 in games decided by four points or less and 1-3 when scoring at least 100 points. The Clippers lost for the first time in seven home games when leading after the first quarter.

TURNING POINT: With the score tied and 20 seconds remaining, the Clippers had the ball in the hands of guard Chauncey Billups, who sank a 3-point basket to beat the visiting Mavericks on Wednesday. His driving shot attempt banked off the glass and clanked off the rim with 1.5 seconds showing on the clock, enough time for the Timberwolves to call timeout and move the ball past midcourt. Ricky Rubio in-bounded the ball to Love at the top of the 3-point line and he swished the ball cleanly through the hoop.

HOT: For a night anyway, Minnesota center Darko Milicic looked like a No. 2 overall draft pick. Maybe not a No. 2 pick who was selected ahead of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but a solid second pick. Milicic finished with a team and season-high 22 points, nearly doubling his season average of 4.4 points by the end of the first quarter.

NOT: Rubio, the flashy rookie point guard from Spain, missed his first 10 field-goal attempts before hitting a 3-point basket with 20 seconds remaining to tie the score, 98-98. He finished with nine points, six assists and three turnovers. For the Clippers, forward Blake Griffin finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth consecutive double-double, but he shot 7-for-17 from the floor. Since point guard Chris Paul went down with a strained left hamstring, Griffin is shooting 27-for-59 (45.7 percent) in the four games and his scoring average has dipped from 23.1 points to 21.2.

GOOD MOVE: Rubio did flash his magic in the closing minutes. In addition to his score-tying 3-pointer, he made a nice behind-the-back pass to Milicic who was trailing on a fast break and the 7-footer laid the ball in, cutting the deficit to 96-94 with 2:30 remaining in the game.

BAD MOVE: Clippers back-up point guard Mo Williams was on another scoring tear, making his first seven field-goal attempts for the second consecutive game and scoring 21 points in the first half. He closed out both quarters with last-second baskets. However, he wasn't around at the end of the fourth as he picked up his second technical foul with 6:21 remaining and the Clippers clinging to a four-point lead. They scored just nine points the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "I felt it was a questionable call. I just reacted to it, not in the direction of the referee, but towards out bench. I was surprised the technical foul was called."
--Clippers guard Williams.

NOTABLE: Griffin and Love are the only two NBA players averaging more than 21 points and 11 rebounds. Love, who went to college at nearby UCLA, finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. ... Billups made three 3-pointers to pass Peja Stojakovic for fourth all time on the NBA list .... Ryan Gomes, starting at small forward in place of Caron Butler (hyper-extended right knee), scored a season high 11 points.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Sunday vs. Toronto, Wednesday @ L.A. Lakers, Thursday vs. Memphis. For the Timberwolves, Saturday @ Utah, Monday vs. Houston, Wednesday @ Dallas.

• Timberwolves: Lee, Miller, Webster
• Clippers: Bledsoe, Butler

• Timberwolves: --
• Clippers: Billups, Williams, Williams

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #18 Matt Boland, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 19492
• Duration: 2:39