The Minnesota Timberwolves (14-28) are set to clash with the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers (29-14) at the Staples Center on Thursday, Jan. 19 in a 2016-2017 NBA regular season match.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Minnesota has been struggling throughout the season so far and is on a two-game losing skid after winning their previous three matches. The team is third from the last place in the Western Conference table, only one game ahead of the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and a half-game behind 12th-place team Dallas Mavericks.
The Wolves were outpointed by the San Antonio Spurs, 122-114, in their road game last Tuesday at the AT&T Center, as per Yahoo Sports.
It was another tough night for head coach Tom Thibodeau's squad as they led 71-67 at the break before things fell apart in the second half.
Karl-Anthony Towns had an impressive performance, though, with a huge double-double of 27 points and 16 rebounds while Ricky Rubio added 21 points and 14 assists with two boards and two steals.
Zach LaVine had 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists while Gorgui Dieng contributed 17 points, six boards, three assists, one steal, and four blocks in a good all-around game. Andrew Wiggins was the fifth starter who scored in double figures with 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Off the bench, Shabazz Muhammad chipped in 15 points and four boards in 23 minutes of playing time.
Meanwhile, the injury-riddled Clippers squad is coming off a 120-98 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night also at the Staples Center, SB Nation reported.
Marreese Speights came off the bench to top-score for head coach Doc Rivers' side with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. JJ Redick led the starters with 20 points, two assists, and two steals.
DeAndre Jordan added 19 points, 15 boards, two assists, two steals, and four shot blocks while Austin Rivers had 16 points and six assists both as starters.
Other bench players who scored in double figures were Raymond Felton and Brandon Bass, who had 15 and 10 points respectively.
The bad news for the Clips is Chris Paul's thumb injury, which sent him out of the game in the second quarter. He is set to miss this match against the Wolves. Blake Griffin is still out for Los Angeles with a knee injury.
Prediction
The Wolves are poor on the road his season with a 5-15 slate while the Clippers are 17-6 at home. However, with injuries to All-Stars Paul and Griffin, it looks like Minnesota has a shot in this game. A close win for the Wolves is predicted.
