Wolves edge Clippers in thrilling finish taken at Target Center (Los Angeles Clippers)

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Jan 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) defends against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Clippers just cannot seem to beat the Timberwolves. In the first of two on the road, the Clippers came up short, 108-106 in a back and forth tussle on Monday night. 

The Wolves were down by as much as 19 in the first half, and it looked like the Clippers had found the same groove they had on Saturday night at home against the Hawks. 

Then, as the first half came to a close, the Timberwolves made it a 7 point game going into the half. An ensuing 44-15 run to open the half completely befuddled the Clipper offense. 

Once the Wolves started hitting shots, the Clippers could not keep up, especially with a minutes restriction on Kawhi Leonard. 

Speaking of Leonard, he played in just under 21 minutes and had only 8 points on 3/11 shooting. It seemed like none of the rotations worked as seamlessly as they did against Atlanta. 

However, there were some bright spots. Norm Powell had 25 points on 7/17 shooting in his first game against the Timberwolves this season. 

James Harden poured in 22 of his own, but struggled from the field, going 8/22. 

4 out of 5 bench unit players had a positive +/- including a 10 point night from Derrick Jones Jr. 

But, the story was the late game shotmaking from the superstar that is Anthony Edwards. He made two dagger three-pointers late in the 4th quarter over good defense to put the game out of reach. 

Edwards followed his 53 point night up with a 37 point effort on Monday. There is a reason he is among the best in the league. 

As tough of a loss as it is for the Clippers, they now sit at 20-16 and head to Denver to take on the Nuggets. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM PST on Wednesday. 

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