1st Quarter Report
Only three more quarters stand between the Timberwolves and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 32-22 lead against the Clippers.
If the Timberwolves keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 28-11 in no time. On the other hand, the Clippers will have to make due with a 25-14 record unless they turn things around.
Who’s Playing
Los Angeles Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Current Records: Los Angeles 25-13, Minnesota 27-11
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: Bally Sports – North
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $57.34
What to Know
The Timberwolves will be in front of their home fans on Sunday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The Timberwolves were the big favorite in their most recent game, and for good reason. Everything went their way against Portland on Friday as Minnesota made off with a 116-93 win. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 63-42.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert were among the main playmakers for the Timberwolves as the former scored 23 points along with eight rebounds and the latter dropped a double-double on 24 points and 17 rebounds. Gobert is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he’s now pulled down ten or more in the last four games he’s played.
Meanwhile, the Clippers waltzed into their contest Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against Memphis by a score of 128-119. The Clippers pushed the score to 100-79 by the end of the third, a deficit the Grizzlies cut but never quite recovered from.
The Clippers relied on the efforts of Kawhi Leonard, who scored 22 points along with seven rebounds, and Paul George, who went 7 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 37 points and 1 assists. George continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played.
Minnesota’s victory bumped their record up to 27-11. As for Los Angeles, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 25-13 record this season.
Sunday’s game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: The Timberwolves just can’t miss this season, having made 48.8% of their shots per game. However, it’s not like the Clippers (currently ranked fifth in field goal percentage per game) struggle in that department as they’ve made 49.4% of their shots per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Timberwolves were able to grind out a solid victory over the Clippers in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, winning 108-101. Do the Timberwolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Clippers turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Los Angeles is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Minnesota, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Timberwolves as a 1-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 223 points.
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Series History
Los Angeles has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Minnesota.
- Feb 28, 2023 – Minnesota 108 vs. Los Angeles 101
- Jan 06, 2023 – Minnesota 128 vs. Los Angeles 115
- Dec 14, 2022 – Los Angeles 99 vs. Minnesota 88
- Apr 12, 2022 – Minnesota 109 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Jan 03, 2022 – Minnesota 122 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Nov 13, 2021 – Los Angeles 129 vs. Minnesota 102
- Nov 05, 2021 – Los Angeles 104 vs. Minnesota 84
- Nov 03, 2021 – Los Angeles 126 vs. Minnesota 115
- Apr 18, 2021 – Los Angeles 124 vs. Minnesota 105
- Feb 10, 2021 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Minnesota 112