2:30 p.m., STAPLES Center
Minnesota comes into this one hot, riding a three-game winning streak. After 16 games, the Wolves and the Clippers sit at 8-8. Who saw that coming?
Both teams are tied for sixth place in the Western Conference along with the Utah Jazz.
A few tidbits going into Sunday afternoon’s game:
COMING OFF OF…
The Wolves are coming off of a 101-91 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 22 points to go with six rebounds. Fellow Bounce Bro Zach LaVine added 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Shabazz Muhammad and Andre Miller led the second unit with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Minnesota shot 9-for-25 from the 3-point line.
The Clippers are coming off of a 111-90 home win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick led the Clippers with 20 points each. Chris Paul added 17 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals. Austin Rivers and Lance Stephenson led the second unit with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
LAST MATCHUP
The Wolves were 0-3 against the Clippers last season. The last game came on March 9 at the STAPLES Center. The Clippers came away with an 89-76 behind 26 points from Redick. Jordan added 20 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Matt Barnes and Rivers contributed for 13 points each. Minnesota was able to limit Paul to just two points.
Minnesota was led by Adreian Payne’s 16 points and 15 rebounds. Big man Nikola Pekovic also added a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Wiggins and Kevin Martin finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
KEY MATCHUP: KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS VS. DEANDRE JORDAN
The Wolves are hoping that rookie Karl-Anthony gets out of the mini-funk that he’s been in of late. He’s been held to single digits scoring in each of his last three games and hasn’t gotten to the free-throw line once.
His numbers on the season are still impressive for a No. 1 pick, averaging 14.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
He’ll have his hands full against one of the better defensive centers in the league with Jordan.
Jordan is averaging 10.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, both down from last season. He is averaging 2.9 blocks per game, though, which marks a career high.
INJURIES
Clippers: No injuries reported.
Wolves: Ricky Rubio (left ankle) and Nemanja Bjelica (left knee) are questionable. Pekovic (Achilles) is out.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Clippers: PG- Paul, SG – Redick, SF – Johnson, PF – Griffin, C – Jordan
Wolves: PG- LaVine, SG- Martin, SF – Wiggins, PF- Garnett, C- Towns
