Clippers-Timberwolves Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Jan 16 2013 1:39PM

Having passed a pair of difficult road tests, the Los Angeles Clippers haven't missed a beat without their All-Star point guard.

The Clippers might have to try for their third straight win without Chris Paul on Thursday night when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have lost five of six without star Kevin Love.

After missing the past two games with a bruised right kneecap, Paul is a game-time decision for Los Angeles (30-9) as it concludes this three-game road trip.

He suffered the injury when he bumped knees with J.J. Redick on Saturday with 54 seconds left in a 104-101 loss to Orlando. Paul is the team's second-leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, leads the NBA in steals at 2.6 per game and ranks second with 9.7 assists per game.

"He feels a lot better," coach Vinny Del Negro told the team's official website on Tuesday. "He's gotten great therapy. But we'll take it a day at a time."

Del Negro's club looks for its sixth win in seven games after rolling to back-to-back victories at Memphis and Houston by a combined 34 points.

Eric Bledsoe has filled in nicely since Paul went down, totaling 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting in his first two starts of the season.

Jamal Crawford has also provided a boost with 46 points in those victories, including a season-high 30 points and five 3-pointers in the 117-109 win over the Rockets. The Clippers improved to 11-1 when Crawford leads the team in scoring.

The reserve guard, however, has struggled against the Timberwolves. He's averaged 9.7 points while shooting 32.4 percent and 1 for 15 from beyond the arc in his last three against them. Crawford had 11-points on 2-of-10 shooting in the Clippers' 101-95 victory over Minnesota on Nov. 28.

One night after posting its second-largest victory margin in a 99-73 win at Memphis on Monday, Los Angeles reached season highs on the road in points and field-goal percentage (53.8) at Houston.

Los Angeles should be able to continue that efficiency against a Minnesota team that has allowed 104.9 points per game in its last nine and has the league's worst defensive field goal percentage (50.4) this month.

Despite four straight losses on their recent road trip, the Timberwolves (16-19) have won seven of their last nine at home, where they will play three of their next four games.

Minnesota, however, fell to 1-5 since its All-Star forward suffered a broken hand following a 113-98 loss at Dallas on Monday night. The club announced on Tuesday the operation to repair Love's hand was successful, and he'd return sometime in March.

Center Nikola Pekovic has tried to compensate for Love's absence, averaging 19.2 points while shooting 60.0 percent and 10.8 rebounds in his last six games.

Reserve guard J.J. Barea has totaled 36 points and shot 5 for 12 from 3-point range in his last two games after missing two because of back spasms.

The Timberwolves, though, averaged just 91.0 points on 41.3 percent shooting - including 17 for 66 (25.8 percent) from 3-point range - during its 0-4 road trip.

They rank last in 3-point shooting at 29.7 percent and currently are on pace to become the second team in 10 seasons to finish below 30 percent from long range.

"It was a tough trip," Barea said. "I tell them to remember how this feels. We have to get better at home."

Clippers cruise to 90-77 win over Timberwolves

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Jan 18 2013 12:42AM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers didn't have much left in the tank at the end of a three-game road trip that was played entirely without star point guard Chris Paul.

Against the injury-depleted Minnesota Timberwolves, they didn't need much.

Jamal Crawford scored 22 points, Blake Griffin added 20 and the Clippers hardly broke a sweat in cruising to a 90-77 victory over the free-falling Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Lamar Odom grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out six assists, and the Clippers outscored Minnesota's bench 45-23 to overcome Paul's third straight missed game because of a knee injury.

"It was a bad game for us and to still get a win and finish off a road trip 3-0 is great," Griffin said. "We needed these three wins, especially with CP out. Other guys stepped up and did a great job."

Ronny Turiaf had 11 points - his first double-digit scoring game since March 21, 2011 - and the Clippers had a 50-30 advantage on points in the paint.

Luke Ridnour scored 21 points and Ricky Rubio had four points and six assists in his first start of the season for the Timberwolves, who lost leading scorer and rebounder Nikola Pekovic to a bruised right quadriceps in the third quarter.

The Timberwolves shot just 35.7 percent and missed 15 of their 19 3-pointers in losing their fifth straight game.

"It's tough, but we have two ways to do it," Rubio said. "One is complaining because we have the injuries. I don't think that's the way. The way is to be a man. I think we have to step up. Everybody has to know his new role. Every game it's changing and that's hard to do. But we are here and we're going to do it."

Even without their MVP candidate out there to steer the ship over the last few games, the Clippers have been humming right along. Backup Eric Bledsoe clearly has been watching how Paul goes about his business because the third-year Kentucky point guard has played with a maturity and explosiveness that has allowed the Clippers to not miss a beat.

Bledsoe picked up two quick fouls in the first 3 minutes on Thursday night, but that was no problem for the deepest team in the league. Coach Vinny Del Negro went to super-sub Crawford, who scored 12 points in the first half to help Los Angeles muddle through an uninspired start.

"We should come into every arena feeling we should get the W," Caron Butler said at the morning shootaround. "That's not being cocky or overconfident. That's having enough confidence in our ability and ourselves and the personnel we have out there and the system that we run."

The Clippers looked a little too overconfident early in the game, seemingly playing on cruise control against a team they knew was undermanned and overwhelmed. Los Angeles turned the ball over 17 times in the first three quarters and coasted offensively to allow the Wolves to hang around.

Minnesota trailed by just five going into the fourth quarter, but the Clippers simply wore down the Timberwolves with their depth. Bledsoe scored only two points, but Crawford's 3-pointer with 5 minutes to go gave Los Angeles a 13-point lead and the short-handed Wolves simply faded away.

"We want the starters to be comfortable enough that when they come out of the game they don't have to worry," Crawford said. "I think when they come out of the game we should extend the lead and they will be fresher down the season because of it."

Pekovic was injured while getting tangled with Griffin under the basket in the third quarter and Alexey Shved rolled his left ankle midway through the final period, the latest in an incredible pile of injuries for the Wolves this season. Kevin Love is out for two months with a right hand that is broken for the second time this season, Brandon Roy may not play at all this season with recurring knee problems, Chase Budinger is out until March with a knee injury and Josh Howard and Malcolm Lee are both lost for the season with injuries.

Head coach Rick Adelman missed his sixth straight game while tending to his sick wife.

"It's hard," acting head coach Terry Porter said. "It's really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but we have to keep working towards getting better and whoever we have we just have to come out and play hard."

NOTES: Paul and Griffin were voted starters for the Western Conference in the All-Star game. ... The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Minnesota Lynx COO Conrad Smith, who died after a long battle with cancer on Wednesday night. Smith also worked for the Timberwolves, Twins and North Stars over the years. "Simply put, Conrad is irreplaceable," Timberwolves and Lynx president Chris Wright said. ... The Wolves agreed to terms with F Mickael Gelabale of France, who planned to join the team on Friday. ... Turiaf, a 38 percent free throw shooter this season, drew jeers when he airballed a freebie in the fourth quarter.

Notebook: Clippers 90, Timberwolves 77

Jim Beilby, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:59 PM - Updated Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:59 PM

THE FACTS: The Los Angeles Clippers got an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 90-77, on Thursday night. It wasn't the Clippers' most efficient game as they turned over the ball 18 times and let the Wolves gain an advantage in the fast break, but it was enough. Jamal Crawford scored 22 off the bench for Los Angeles and Blake Griffin added 20 points.

Losers of five straight, Minnesota continues to lose more than games. With Kevin Love, Chase Budinger, Malcolm Lee, and Brandon Roy already out with injuries, Minnesota lost two more players in this game. Nikola Pekovic suffered a left quad contusion and left the court with 3:39 to play in the third quarter after getting tangled up with Griffin on an attempted lob. And Alexey Shved left the game with 5:40 to play in the game with a sprained ankle. Both were unable to return and both are expected to be unavailable for practice tomorrow. Luke Ridnour scored a season-high 21 points for Minnesota.

QUOTABLE: "We found a way to win, but it wasn't our best execution game. In the fourth quarter, we got some stops when we needed to. Blake set the tone for us and our bench -- Jamal and Lamar Odom with his 12 rebounds and six assists -- did a great job for us."
-- Clippers' coach, Vinny Del Negro.

THE STAT: The Clippers' bench ran circles around Minnesota's reserves all night, outscoring them 45-23. The Clippers' bench is second in the league in scoring with 41.6 ppg. They are led by Crawford's 16.8 ppg in his 37 games off the bench.

TURNING POINT: Leading by five going into the final quarter, the Clippers went on a 16-6 run in the opening seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "We are in the middle of a storm. This is like a perfect storm right now in regards to the games playing out the same. We are running out of gas at the end and not being able to make shots and make plays and we are having people come up injured. I don't know what Pek's status is or Alexey's. I will go back and check, but when they walked off, it didn't look good."
-- Minnesota acting head coach, Terry Porter.

NOTABLE: Clipper's guard, Matt Barnes, had made a 3-pointer in 16 straight games until tonight when he was 0-for-3 .. The Clippers have the second best record in the league. They rank first in steals, second in assists, and fourth in field goal percentage .. Porter continues as acting head coach for Minnesota tonight, as Rick Adelman remains on leave due to the illness of his wife.

UP NEXT: For the Wolves, Saturday vs. Houston, Monday @ Atlanta, Wednesday vs. Brooklyn. For the Clippers, Saturday vs. Washington, Monday @ Golden State, Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City.

• Clippers: Billups, Thompkins
• Timberwolves: Budinger, Roy

• Clippers: --
• Timberwolves: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #73 Tre Maddox, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 16198
• Duration: 2:19