15 January 2024
Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have proven throughout the season to be a top NBA superstar trio.
The Timberwolves’ threesome was better than the Los Angeles Clippers’ top triumvirate Sunday night in a 109-105 win at Target Center, one that became a late gut-check for the home team.
Edwards finished with 33 points and nine rebounds, Gobert had 15 points and 18 rebounds, and Towns netted 17 points and grabbed six rebounds.
“We did a good job just playing as a team. Really proud of our team tonight, Ant, Rudy, really everyone played well tonight,” Towns said.
Jaden McDaniels added 14 points and Kyle Anderson 10 off the bench.
Down by 11 with 3:14 to play, a pair of threes from Norman Powell and one from James Harden got the Clippers within three entering the game’s final minute.
But Gobert, who missed seven of his first 10 free throws, made four straight for a seven-point lead.
“I know I’m a good free-throw shooter, so just have to trust it and take my time and knock ‘em down,” he said.
“He made them when it mattered most, so that’s what counts,” said Wolves coach Chris Finch.
Amid chants of “MVP,” Edwards added a couple more with 25 seconds left.
That the game turned into a nail-biter in the final five minutes shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
The NBA playoffs do not begin for more than three months, but if this contest were any indication, a Timberwolves-Clippers series could be fantastic.
Western Conference-leading Minnesota entered winning 10 of 17, with all but a couple games coming against teams that would be in the playoffs if they started today. The Timberwolves lead the NBA in team defense, allowing 107.4 points and holding opponents to 44.3% shooting.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are third in the Western Conference, averaging 117.7 points per game and shooting 49.3%, including a league-best 39.3% from deep.
They shot just 43.4% overall and were 17 of 39 from deep.
“They come in like 17-3 or something like that over their last 20 games, so it means a lot to get a win, not specifically just battling those guys. They’ve got a whole team. (Tyronn Lue is) a great coach. So good team win,” said Edwards, listed as questionable pregame with a left knee contusion.
He took over in the third quarter, scoring 20 points, including eight free throws as Minnesota began to pull away. His shot from outside the arc gave Minnesota an 81-68 lead with less than four seconds to go in the frame.
A Gobert dunk was set up by a feed from Towns for an 88-74 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Three minutes later, and after the Clippers cut the lead to single digits, McDaniels soared on a rebound of a missed 3-pointer. His next leap was an aggressive slam to give Minnesota a 96-80 lead with the sellout crowd of 18,024 justifiably giving its loudest roar.
Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 26 points, Powell had a season-high 24 and Paul George 16. James Harden finished with just 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
Intensity nearly went over the edge early in the third quarter. After Gobert set a screen on him, Terance Mann shoved the Timberwolves’ big man before a referee intervened.
Playing off an aggressive defense, the Timberwolves led 29-19 after the first quarter, but things changed dramatically for much of the second quarter. A 19-5 run gave the Clippers a 38-37 lead midway through the frame. It was a 46-45 Minnesota lead at intermission.
“Great job by us overall,” Finch said. “The end they made a bunch of threes, kind of split some free throws, a couple turnovers. It wasn’t the cleanest finish, but we got big stops when we needed it, so all credit to our guys.”