Clippers-Timberwolves Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Mar 05 2012 1:11AM

Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are usually instrumental to the Minnesota Timberwolves' success.

That has surprisingly has not been the case this season in two meetings against the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Timberwolves will likely need a strong performance from their two stars Monday night if they are to defeat Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and the rest of the Clippers again.

Love has totaled 27 points and 21 rebounds in Minnesota's two previous games against the Clippers (22-13) this season, but has shot just 9 of 29. Rubio has fared even worse from the floor in those games, missing 17 of his 19 shots, and finishing with 11 points and 15 assists.

Love managed 10 points and seven rebounds at Los Angeles last Tuesday, while Rubio scored two points on 1-of-8 shooting but did finish with nine assists. Despite those lackluster performances, the Timberwolves (19-19) prevailed 109-97.

Forwards Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams combined for 54 points and shot 20 of 25 to help pick up the slack as Minnesota improved to 2-0 in the season series.

"We were knocking down open shots, taking what the defense gave us and just letting the ball flow," Beasley said. "We did a lot of penetrating and kicking out. Those guys like to block shots, so when you've got two or three guys going after one block, that means you have two guys open for jump shots. It's kind of hard to go from the rim back out to the perimeter and contest those shots."

Beasley and Williams have combined for 64 points in three games since that win.

Love and Rubio led the way in Saturday's 122-110 victory at Portland. Love had a season-high 42 points with 10 rebounds, while Rubio dished out 12 assists.

"That was one of our best wins of the year, I think," coach Rick Adelman said. "We got 60 points in each half. We came out real aggressive, but then they made their run on us. They're very athletic and they got us on our heels a little bit, but our guys responded. I thought we played a solid second half."

Just as Love and Rubio pace the Timberwolves, Griffin and Paul do the same for the Clippers.

The Los Angeles tandem came up big Sunday, as Paul had 28 points and 10 assists and Griffin added 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-103 victory at Houston. The Clippers improved to 2-1 on their six-game road trip, and 10-8 away from home on the season.

"This was a win we needed," Griffin said. "It is a relief."

Another victory also be welcome since the Clippers are just percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division.

Griffin is averaging 26.2 points and 10.0 boards in six career meetings with the Timberwolves, including totals of 51 points and 17 boards in the two losses this season.

Paul scored 27 points in last week's loss to Minnesota.

Love's 39 carries Wolves over Clippers

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Mar 06 2012 12:01AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Another game won, another All-Star power forward dominated, Kevin Love stepped to the postgame television interview and delivered a bold statement.

"This is my time right now," Love proclaimed.

It's getting harder and harder to argue with that.

Love had 39 points and 17 rebounds to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 95-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

Darko Milicic had 13 points in a spot start for the injured Nikola Pekovic and Michael Beasley scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter for the Wolves. But it was Love, the All-Star, 3-point shootout champion and perhaps budding MVP candidate, who put this young improving team on his back and willed them over the .500 mark at 20-19.

He hit a jumper in Kenyon Martin's face with 1:28 to play, then added what proved to be the game winner by bulling himself to the basket for a little flip shot that has become one of his staples.

"You have to have confidence that you are going to get what you want," coach Rick Adelman said. "But the great thing about him is he gets what he wants and he's such a good free throw shooter that it all adds up."

Love went 8 for 11 at the line and 5 for 10 from 3-point range and scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting with four rebounds in the fourth. The versatility and shot-making set him apart from Clippers star Blake Griffin, who had a heck of a game of his own.

Griffin had 26 points and 12 rebounds, but scored just four in the final period. He only took two shots in the period, went 0 for 4 at the line and picked up a costly technical foul when he jawed at referee Ken Mauer after pulling Luke Ridnour to the floor in one of the game's many collisions near the basket.

"I think there was a lot of frustration," Griffin said. "We have to do a better job of not letting that affect us. You don't want to say that one particular thing won or lost the game, but it very well could've been. I have to do a better job controlling my emotions."

Chris Paul had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds when he was fouled on a 3-pointer. He made the first two before missing the final one to let the game slip out of his hands.

"I was perfect from the free throw line and I missed it," Paul said. "It's tough. I wanted it. I wanted the ball. I want to be in that situation. I'll tell you again, if I'm in that situation again I'll go right to the line. I know I'm going to make it every time I go to the line. Tonight, I didn't."

Mo Williams scored 19 points for Los Angeles, which outrebounded Minnesota 52-43. Three of the Clippers' 14 losses this season have come to Minnesota.

Love scored 42 against long-time nemesis LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers on Saturday night and won the day against another of his competitors for the label of best power forward in the game on Monday night. After the game he downplayed the significance of scoring 81 points against such superior competition.

"I don't really think about that too much," Love said.

Paul finished with 18 points and Derrick Williams scored 15 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves were playing without Pekovic, who was out with a sore right foot.

They could have used their enforcer against the Clippers in a game that grew more physical as it went on. Every drive to the basket was met with a shot to the ribs, every screen set aimed at rattling a tooth or two loose, every jump shot contested with a hand in the face, and maybe more.

Love scored 11 straight in the first quarter to get the Wolves going. He hit three 3-pointers in the surge to ignite a 17-2 run that put Minnesota in control.

The Wolves led by 15 early in the second before the Clippers, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back that began with an overtime win at Houston, started to shove back. They got physical with Love down low, banging him around with Griffin, Reggie Evans and DeAndre Jordan and Paul and Eric Bledsoe used their strength on the perimeter to outmuscle Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea.

The Clippers ripped off two separate 10-0 runs in the final eight minutes to cut the deficit to one, 45-44, at the break.

"It was tough," said Rubio, who had just four points, six assists and five rebounds. "If we want to fight to be in the playoffs we have to play at this level."

NOTES: Mo Williams and Martin were game-time decisions because of minor injuries. Clippers F Ryan Gomes did not play because of an illness. ... It was the 13th time Love has scored 30 points this season, putting him one away from tying Tony Campbell's single-season franchise record. ... It was the sixth sellout of the season for the Timberwolves, a suddenly hot ticket in the Twin Cities. They haven't had that many since 2006-07 and hope to sellout five of the next six home games.

Notebook: Timberwolves 95, Clippers 94

Posted Tuesday March 6, 2012 12:50AM

By Jim Beilby, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: In the battle of premier power forwards, Kevin Love got the better of Blake Griffin. But more importantly, the Minnesota Timberwolves got the better of the Los Angles Clippers, defeating them 95-94 on Monday night. A game after dropping 42 on the Blazers, Kevin Love scored 39 and grabbed 17 rebounds, including a pair of key baskets down the stretch. Blake Griffin scored 26 and grabbed 12 rebounds, but he and Kenyon Martin were assessed technical fouls with in the final minutes of the game and the two points that resulted from those mistakes ended up making a big difference.

QUOTABLE: "Offensive rebounds hurt us in the fourth quarter, we missed a lot of free throws and that was the difference. Our guys battled, we had an opportunity and we put pressure on them, but we couldn't convert when we needed to."
-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro

THE STAT: Kevin Love is the only player to record 35-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and hit five or more 3-pointers in two consecutive games.

THE STAT II: Despite fewer turnovers, a higher shooting percentage, and a significant rebounding advantage (63-53), the Clippers missed eleven free throws (21-for-32, 65.6 percent). Minnesota also had a 22-9 advantage on the fast break.

TURNING POINT: After making a pair of free throws to close Minnesota's lead to three with 29.1 seconds left, Chris Paul forced Jose Barea into a bad shot and the Clippers had 4.8 seconds to get a three to tie the game. Paul received the inbounds pass and was fouled in the act of shooting a three by Derrick Williams. But after making the first two, he missed the third, and Ricky Rubio's rebound sealed the game for the Wolves.

QUOTABLE II: "It was a physical game, kinda what we expected. We beat them twice on their home court and they wanted to come out and get a win against us. So we knew what type of game it was going to be and as the game went on it got more and more physical."
-- Love

HOT: Love started the first quarter on fire, scoring 16 points including three 3-point shots in a row in the middle of a 17-2 run. And Darko Milicic, starting in place of the injured Nikola Pekovic, played strong defense on Griffin and scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

NOT: Caron Bulter was 0-for-6. In the last two games against Minnesota, he is 1-for-16.

NOTABLE: Wolves have won seven of their last 10 games and this is the latest in the season they have been over .500 since they were 20-19 in 2006-2007. ... With Monday's 39-point performance, Love notched his 13th 30-point game of the season, only one away from the franchise record held by Tony Campbell. ... With the victory, Minnesota improved its season record against the Clippers to 3-0. The games have all been hotly contested and very physical with Minnesota having a cumulative margin of victory of only 16 points.

UP NEXT: For the Wolves, Wednesday vs. Portland, Friday vs. L.A. Lakers, Saturday vs. New Orleans. For the Clippers, Wednesday @ New Jersey, Friday @ San Antonio, Sunday vs. Golden State.

• Clippers: Billups, Leslie
• Timberwolves: Lee, Pekovic

• Clippers: Griffin, Martin
• Timberwolves: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #72 J.T. Orr, #56 Mark Ayotte
• Attendance: 19509
• Duration: 2:28