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LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Preview, How to Watch and Betting Info

Patrick Beverley could play, but Paul George remains out.

Author:
Mason Bissada
Publish date:
Feb 10, 2021 12:00 PM EST

The LA Clippers will look to bounce back from their first two-game losing streak of the season on Wednesday as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Yesterday, Head Coach Tyronn Lue offered some good news and bad news as it pertains to the health of his roster entering Wednesday’s matchup.

On the positive side, Patrick Beverley has been upgraded to “questionable” to play and will travel with the team on their two-game road trip after missing the last eight games with right knee soreness. If Beverley does play, it’ll be interesting to see if he is on a minutes restriction.

On the negative side, Paul George has been ruled out for the Wolves matchup, along with Friday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls, as he will not travel with the team on the road trip. George will continue to recover from the bone edema in his right toe that has kept him sidelined for the Clippers’ last two games.

Unfortunately, the Timberwolves will not be at full strength either. All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns has been listed as doubtful as he continues to recover from COVID-19, and their other All-Star, D’Angelo Russell, has been listed as questionable due to left leg soreness (he was only able to play six minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday). Additionally, Jarrett Culver will remain out with a left ankle sprain.

To put it bluntly, the Timberwolves are currently the dregs of the NBA. Their 6-18 record is tied for dead-last in the league, and they currently rank 27th in offensive rating, 24th in defensive rating and 29th in net rating.

Without either of their two offensive engines, Minnesota is going to struggle to find any sort of scoring outside of Malik Beasley, who is averaging 20 points per game on decent efficiency. Beasley will be the Clippers’ main target defensively, as he is one of the few players the Wolves have left that create for himself and others.

For the Clippers, Lue’s mixed bag of injury news could not have come at a better time. In terms of Beverley, this road trip will potentially give him a chance to get his rhythm back against two lesser teams (the Bulls currently sit at 9-14). In terms of George, the Clippers probably won’t need him to take care of business against these two opponents, particularly if Beverley is healthy. Kawhi Leonard might have to work slightly harder, but the Clippers will be favored heavily in both matchups.