Clippers confident they can win next play-in game if they focus on sharper execution

Clippers guard Norman Powell turned towards Minnesota’s coaches and reserves and yelled after making his first three-pointer Tuesday.

After Isaiah Hartenstein’s move to a chopping Terance Mann was redirected to Powell within the nook 5 minutes later for his third straight made three-pointer, Powell yelled once more at his closest defender.

However Powell’s greatest takeaway after Minnesota’s 109-104 play-in event victory that leaves the Clippers only one extra loss from a completed season? After making his first 4 pictures, he was far too quiet.

“9 pictures for a man they give the impression of being to to generate offense and issues will not be sufficient,” Powell stated.

An instant-offense addition to the Clippers’ lineup each earlier than and after a foot damage that gave him solely per week to ramp up earlier than the play-in, Powell was the one dependable scorer to start out the sport however missed 4 of his final 5 pictures. Greater than the misses, he was self-critical about his aggression. Already the Clippers’ finest at producing free-throw makes an attempt, he took his final free throw with 9 minutes, 8 seconds left earlier than halftime and didn’t try a single shot within the final 11 minutes, 47 seconds of the fourth quarter.

“I checked out among the clips, yeah, once we do the small-ball decide and rolls with me and [Paul George], I’m in the course of the ground, I simply obtained to be extra decisive, assault the paint, make these guys decide to their rotation, make them play out of that,” Powell stated. “That’s the most important factor. Simply being extra aggressive.”

That won’t be Powell’s burden to hold alone into Friday’s play-in recreation in opposition to the winner of New Orleans and San Antonio at Crypto.com Area, a recreation that earns the winner a first-round collection in opposition to top-seeded Phoenix and the loser a ticket to the offseason.

The final time the Clippers made a basket nearer than the midrange was a dunk by Mann — with 9:28 remaining.

The fourth quarter featured two free throws and 20 pictures, solely 5 of which have been taken inside 10 ft. And within the final 5 minutes, their 10 pictures have been taken from a median of 21 ft. Distance doesn’t converse to shot high quality, in fact, and Powell believed the Clippers’ makes an attempt have been sturdy.

“We obtained guys into their spots the place they needed, I believe that’s positive,” Powell stated. “Just some miscommunications on protection allowed them to get a pair wide-open threes that basically gave them the momentum within the fourth.”

The fourth quarter was considered the place the Clippers’ postseason expertise would present and the Timberwolves’ lack of seasoning would too. However after trailing by 10 within the closing eight minutes, the Timberwolves outrebounded the Clippers by 5, pressured 5 turnovers whereas dropping just one and generated 12 free-throw makes an attempt, making seven.

George, after acknowledging he was “dashing issues” offensively throughout a two-for-10 first half, scored 17 third-quarter factors and made three of his six pictures within the fourth.

“I assumed we simply didn’t execute nice down the stretch,” he stated.

On the verge of elimination in final season’s first spherical in opposition to Dallas, the Clippers gained the final two video games of the seven-game collection to advance. And after trailing 0-2 in every of their first two collection final season, in addition they gained de facto elimination Recreation 3s twice.

With a lot of the core of that group again, the Clippers believed their expertise, this time, would assist them.

“I imagine spirits are nonetheless good within the locker room,” guard Reggie Jackson stated. “It simply sucks to let this one slip by way of our fingers. Guys are optimistic. We really feel like we all know what we have now to do approaching Friday.”