Score: LAC 102 – MIN 108
LOS ANGELES – On a possession DeAndre Jordan blocked the first attempt, Wesley Johnson blocked the next and J.J. Redick saved the ball sprinting into the second row, leading to game-tying free throws, it seemed the Clippers might’ve mustered enough energy late to finally pull past the Timberwolves.
It wasn’t enough.
The Clippers tied the game up twice in the final two minutes but could never pull past the Timberwolves, snapping a four-game winning streak in a 108-102 loss, which only got wackier as the seconds ticked down in fourth quarter.
A dunk from Jordan, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds while tallying his 1,000th career block, brought the Clippers within two points with 27 seconds left. Then Ricky Rubio was fouled at half court, as the Clippers tried to trap him when he picked up his dribble.
Next Game: 2/5
What followed was more notable than the foul, as Chris Paul was then whistled for a technical foul by referee Lauren Holtkamp. After the game, head coach Doc Rivers said the explanation was for the technical foul was “an overt clap.”
Rubio made the technical free throw, then missed one of the next two, but by then it became a four-point game with only 20 seconds left. After a turnover on the inbounds pass that went off J.J. Redick, the Timberwolves essentially wrapped up the irregular finish.
Long before that, the Clippers were already without Austin Rivers after he was ejected following a layup. After the layup, he was issued a technical foul for arguing when he thought he was hit, then he was issued another as he ran back down the court.
The Timberwolves led the majority of the second half after going on a 14-0 run early in the third quarter. At the start of that, the Clippers were protecting a 59-55 lead with 9:34 left in the quarter. They didn’t score again until Wesley Johnson hit a 3-pointer more than five minutes later, at which point the Timberwolves had taken their lead to double digits for the first time all night.
But runs for both sides would continue the rest of the way, eventually leading to a back-and-forth, up-for-grabs fourth quarter. The Clippers answered the Wolves’ extended third-quarter run by outscoring Minnesota, 15-7, to close the quarter.
Momentum swung abruptly back to the Wolves with a 9-2 run to start the fourth. Again, the Clippers answered and eventually took the lead, 88-87, following a 12-2 run, leading to the tight finish. The Clippers now hit the road for a four-game trip.
