Clippers face must-win play-in game after blowing late lead, losing to Timberwolves

The Clippers had a plan.

When it labored too nicely, Patrick Beverley and the Minnesota Timberwolves had a celebration.

Eight months after the Clippers traded him, Beverley celebrated as they walked off Goal Middle’s flooring, flinging a ball within the air, leaping atop the scorer’s desk and holding his white headband with each fingers whereas sitting right down to cease tears that saved falling after Minnesota’s 109-104, play-in event victory.

A franchise that had only one playoff look since 2004 secured a cathartic first-round sequence in opposition to Memphis — all after the Clippers had appeared to safe this recreation.

By defending Karl-Anthony Cities bodily and drawing offensive fouls, the Clippers did their job to perfection in disrupting the star middle, who fouled out with 7 minutes 34 seconds left and L.A. main by seven after Cities produced simply 11 factors and 5 rebounds in 24 minutes. However the Clippers couldn’t end the job even when main by 10, showing to don’t have any backup plan when their first had labored so nicely.

“We had a recreation plan of how one can assault them,” coach Tyronn Lue stated. “And so they performed so much higher with KAT off the ground.”

As an alternative of being buried, the Timberwolves have been emboldened in entrance of a raging crowd, their youthful core undaunted in opposition to a playoff-tested Clippers roster whereas led by Anthony Edwards’ 30 factors and D’Angelo Russell’s 29, and Beverley’s under-their-skin antics helped restrict the Clippers to lengthy field-goal droughts within the second and fourth quarters.

And after the Clippers did not take advantage of their possibilities, they’ve only one extra probability to increase their season, internet hosting the winner of the play-in recreation between ninth-place New Orleans and Tenth-place San Antonio on Friday in a win-or-else recreation at Crypto.com Enviornment for the Western Convention’s eighth and ultimate playoff spot.

“Truthfully, it’s not even concerning the matchup,” stated Paul George, who scored 34 factors. “Clearly if we don’t win we go dwelling. I might care much less who we play.

“There’s no pep speak, Xs and O’s. We received to win if we need to proceed our season.”

When Nicolas Batum guarded Cities, middle Ivica Zubac typically rushed on the Timberwolves middle after he caught the ball. When George drove previous Cities, Reggie Jackson reached in for a swipe earlier than Zubac’s straight-up protection bumped Cities to the ground.

Cities missed his first seven pictures, didn’t shoot free throws till 4 minutes remained within the first half and needed to be calmed down on the sideline by teammates a number of instances amid foul hassle.

“Are you f—ing critical?” Cities stated after his fourth foul within the half. He then turned to Russell on the sideline and stated, “What would you like me to do?”

When a girl ran onto the court docket late within the half and tried to attach her wrists to the ground beneath a basket, reportedly in protest in opposition to Minnesota proprietor Glen Taylor, the weird act was solely barely extra surprising than the Timberwolves sticking round, contemplating their frustrations.

Lacking injured guard Luke Kennard, whose 44.9% three-point taking pictures led the NBA, a Clippers offense that had led the league in scoring since George’s return in late March went catatonic, making only one area aim within the ultimate 7:20 earlier than halftime and 9 factors within the fourth quarter’s final six minutes. The Clippers made 16 of 35 three-pointers however solely 12 of 28 pictures contained in the paint. Lineups with a middle and lineups with all wings all ultimately slowed down.

There have been the Clippers’ 9 first-half turnovers. A useless technical foul drawn by Marcus Morris Sr. George made two of his first 10 pictures.

Lue was anxious about Russell’s scoring — he added seven fourth-quarter factors, together with a dagger 23-footer to guide by six with two minutes to play, with Lue wishing he’d blitzed the guard extra typically. Lue was anxious about rebounding; the Clippers grabbed 10 fewer. Lue knew Beverley would attempt to rile his former teammates; he did, his seven-point, 11-rebound line not coming near quantifying the cockiness he provided a group with no baseline for postseason depth.

He almost baited Marcus Morris Sr. into an ejection by entangling their arms. He pushed and chirped and thrived within the chaos of his personal making.

“It’s all for present; it’s for the group,” George stated. “I like it. I miss it, his doing it on our aspect, as a result of it’s contagious.”

Beverley flexed towards the Clippers’ bench within the ultimate minute, then afterward posted an expletive-laden Instagram put up calling out the “weak-ass Clippers.” His commerce was spurred, he has stated, when the Clippers provided him a contract extension he discovered “disrespectful.” Minnesota inked him to a $13-million extension within the winter and he cried “cash nicely spent” jogging to his locker room — which precisely nobody took as a touch upon the sector’s newly painted partitions.

“I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that group,” Beverley stated on the dais, sipping a Bud Gentle. “To be written off by them — ‘He’s damage inclined, he’s outdated’ … to have the ability to play them in a play-in and beat their ass, no higher feeling.”

Recognizing Lue in a hallway between the groups’ locker rooms when it was over, Beverley spoke up one final time.

“See y’all,” he stated, “within the Western Convention finals.”