What Went Wrong in Clippers’ Blowout Loss to Timberwolves

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-101 in a game that was very one-sided. The Timberwolves are without star player Anthony Edwards, who will miss up to two months, but it was no problem to take care of a struggling Clippers team. 

A common theme for the Clippers this season has been their turnover issues, and in this game, it was apparent as well. Guard Darius Garland finished this game with 6 turnovers, and the team had 18 in total. 

Shooting has also been an issue. The team finished the game shooting 12-for-30 from the three-point range, and there were multiple players on the team who could not get it going from the field. 

Rookie guard Keaton Wagler finished his night shooting 2-11 from the field and just 1-5 from downtown. Los Angeles has had spacing issues to start the year, and a lot of that is because of injuries. 

Being without forwards Brandon Ingram and Max Strus has hurt this team severely. Players such as Rui Hachimura and Darius Garland have been asked to step up in bigger roles in their absence, and it has made things tougher for them and everyone else. 

Moving forward, one of the things that can truly help this Clippers team is time. This is a roster that has not seen the floor with each other enough to be a competitive team in a stacked Western Conference. 

It’s clear they have had issues with finding each other in the right spots and creating good opportunities for one another. Darius Garland has mentioned that he has struggled to do these things so far this season, but some of that also has to do with the overall chemistry on the team.  

If they can get enough games with each other under their belt, they could be in a position to improve this season. Overall, the same issues are what are causing the Clippers to have such a tough season. 

Tyronn Lue and the coaching staff will have to continue to find ways to make life easier on their two focal points, Garland and Hachimura. Against the Timberwolves, there were a lot of the same issues, and if the spacing does not get cleaned up, there will be more losses coming the Clippers’ way. 

Los Angeles will hope they can turn it around in their next game against the Golden State Warriors and snap a 4-game losing streak.