Clippers will face Patrick Beverley and Timberwolves in play-in game

The Clippers’ play-in match matchup is ready — and a date with one of many roster’s former core items awaits.

The Clippers will journey to Minnesota for a Tuesday sport in opposition to the Timberwolves and pugnacious Patrick Beverley, the guard the Clippers traded away in August.

Tipoff is ready for six:30 p.m. PDT from Goal Heart, with the winner incomes the seventh seed and a first-round sequence in opposition to second-seeded Memphis. If the Clippers lose, they might host a sport Friday at Crypto.com Area for the fitting to earn the eighth seed — and a first-round sequence in opposition to top-seeded Phoenix — in opposition to the winner of San Antonio and New Orleans’ personal play-in sport.

Denver’s victory Thursday in opposition to Memphis locked Minnesota into the seventh-best report within the Western Convention with a 46-35 report. The Clippers are 40-40 and gained the season sequence in opposition to the Timberwolves 3-1 whereas outscoring them on common by 10 factors. However the groups haven’t performed since Jan. 3, and each rosters have modified in that hole, with the Clippers including Norman Powell and Robert Covington at February’s commerce deadline.

“It’s positively not going to be straightforward as a result of we did see them very early on they usually’re taking part in with a special kind of confidence, totally different dynamic,” Clippers guard Terance Mann mentioned this week of making ready for the Timberwolves.

Beverley has averaged 9.3 factors, a career-high 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals and performed in 56 video games after a number of years of bother staying on the courtroom because of accidents with the Clippers. His play earned the 33-year-old a one-year, $13-million extension in February. In a March look on the “Outdated Man and the Three” podcast hosted by former Clipper JJ Redick, Beverley mentioned he wound up on Minnesota after contract extension talks with the Clippers broke down. He ultimately was traded to Memphis as a part of a bundle for Eric Bledsoe, earlier than one other offseason commerce to Minnesota.

“I’m thinkin’ this contact extension goes to be straightforward, stroll in they usually throw me a quantity that I felt like was borderline disrespectful,” Beverley mentioned of his talks with the Clippers final summer season. “So the dialog began with [president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank] and it was a heated little dialog and L Frank is my man. … Man, love him to demise, that’s my man. And I appeared him in his face and instructed him and my agent, man, L Frank is aware of he has to commerce me. If he can’t pay me, gotta commerce me. From that time he instructed me [to] give me my groups and Minnesota was in my prime three.”