The new-look Los Angeles Clippers are starting to look like the version that was assembled before the trade deadline and will test their current form against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif.
The Clippers have won five of their past six games, and while it still does not compare to their 16-3 revival that started on Dec. 20, it has validated the concept that trading away James Harden and Ivica Zubac did not doom their playoff hopes.
The Clippers are in eighth place in the Western Conference, while the Timberwolves dropped from third to fifth on Tuesday following a 120-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
A 126-118 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday kicked off the Clippers’ five-game homestand. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and new-arrival Bennedict Mathurin added 28 as the Clippers reached .500 for the first time since the second week of the season.
“I’ll continue to help these guys get better,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “And you know, to start 6-21 and be .500 right now, it’s a big thing for us.”
Leonard has averaged a career-best 27.9 points over his first 50 games and has been even better since Dec. 20 at 29.5 per game. His scoring prowess has eased the transition for Mathurin, who is scoring 19.2 points in 12 games since arriving in Los Angeles.
Darius Garland, who arrived from the Cleveland Cavaliers, is scoring 17.0 points with 5.8 assists in four games for the Clippers.
“Great point guard, he can shoot the ball, very crafty with his handle and finishing at the rim,” Leonard said of Garland. “I know what type of player he was coming in. He’s proving himself and he’s only gonna get better.”
The Timberwolves dropped their second consecutive game Tuesday after a rough night for Anthony Edwards, who scored 14 points against the Lakers on 2-of-15 shooting — 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Edwards’ performance came after Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 0-of-15 shooting from the floor in a 119-92 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The consecutive defeats have come after a five-game winning streak.
Minnesota and the Lakers were tied at 45 at halftime, but the Timberwolves were down by 19 before the period ended. The Lakers led by as many as 23 in the fourth when Edwards played just two minutes.
While the Timberwolves are now in fifth place, they are just a half game behind the third-place Houston Rockets.
“It is an important game just because of the standings in the West,” Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said of upcoming matchup. “Irrespective of who we’re playing, we have a really tough schedule left coming down the stretch with a lot of games on the road.”
While the Timberwolves lost all three games against the Lakers this season, they are 1-1 against the Clippers. Minnesota earned a 94-88 victory on the road against the Clippers on Feb. 26 when Edwards scored 31 points.
