The Los Angeles Clippers lost their last game by, well, it was a lot. Maybe you heard about that? Tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was not a must-win for the Clippers, but it was a game they wanted after that debacle against the Mavericks. Honestly, it was a game they needed. Despite playing without Kawhi Leonard, who remains sidelined after getting clocked by Serge Ibaka, the Clippers beat the Timberwolves 124-101.
This was a collective effort; a real team win. No one player scored more than 20 points, but 7 scored in double digits. No one player had more than 8 rebounds, yet they outrebounded the Wolves 46-39. In a regular season the players would still be ramping up in preseason games. This however is not a normal season which is a large part of why we are seeing the blowouts in so many NBA games. Tonight the Clippers had to respond after being on the wrong side of a blow-out game, they did just that!
Star of the game
It is a bit of a cop-out, but no one player was the star tonight. No, tonight was all about team. Although, we have to call out how fun it was to watch Lou Williams play with the energy and offensive prowess that Clippers fans are accustomed to from him.
Biggest concern
Sometimes in a big win you might have a player hit a lot of three point shots or have a really good, but not normal for him, great offensive game. In those cases there may be a concern where that player might think he is better than he is. Tonight however, there were no big offensive games. No player played over his head. This was just 12 players playing within themselves and playing great together.
Surprise contribution
Ideally, this will not be a surprise as the season progresses, but for now, it was nice to see Luke Kennard have a really good game. Kennard finished with 15 points on 6-9 shooting. He added 3 rebounds and 4 assists and showed confidence that seemed to be lacking in his first few games in a Clippers jersey.
Next Up
The Portland Trailblazers tomorrow, Wednesday December 30th at home
