Los Angeles Clippers

The No. 7 seed Minnesota Timberwolves are back in the NBA playoffs after beating the No. 8 seed Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 on Tuesday in the play-in tournament at Minneapolis' Target Center.

L.A. led 93-83 with 8:54 remaining in regulation, but Minnesota responded with a 16-2 run capped by an Anthony Edwards dunk for a 99-95 edge:

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1514094487366250497

Minnesota never trailed for the remainder of the game, with Edwards notably hitting a big three-pointer for a 102-98 lead. The Timberwolves iced the game with free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

Edwards' 30 points led the Timberwolves, and D'Angelo Russell hit 10-of-18 shots for 29 points. Their efforts helped overcome an off-night from All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who fouled out in the fourth quarter after just 11 points in 24 minutes.

Clippers forward Paul George, who started the game 2-of-10 from the field, finished with 34 points (10-of-24 from the field, 6-of-12 from three).

The Timberwolves hadn't made the playoffs in four years before breaking that streak Tuesday. The Clippers still have a chance to snag a playoff spot and will look to extend their postseason appearance streak to four.

        

Notable Performances

Clippers F Paul George: 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Clippers G Reggie Jackson: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Clippers G Norman Powell: 16 points

Timberwolves G Anthony Edwards: 30 points, 5 rebounds

Timberwolves G D'Angelo Russell: 29 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns: 11 points, 5 rebounds

    

Strong 4th Quarter Propels Wolves

Nothing was going right for the Wolves after halftime.

The Clippers outscored Minnesota 42-30 for the first 15:06 of the second half. George got scorching hot, and Towns couldn't get anything going because of foul trouble and struggles from the field (3-of-11).

L.A. led 93-83 and looked close to putting this one away, but Towns sliced to the bucket for a smooth layup to slash the lead to eight.

However, he soon fouled out, leaving the Wolves without their star player. Minnesota has plenty of talent otherwise, though, and it was up to them to take over.

That's just what they did, as the Wolves hit big shots and bore down on defense.

Malik Beasley drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to 93-90:

Malik Beasley drains the 3 to make it a 3 point game!

Watch the #MetaQuestPlayIn on TNT

LAC 93 | MIN 90
6:39 remaining in Q4

WIN TO GET IN pic.twitter.com/lwFvvK5jlx

— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2022

George responded with a layup, but Edwards and Naz Reid each hit shots to cut the Clippers' lead to 95-94.

Then it was Russell's time, as he hit a pull-up three for a lead the Wolves would never relinquish:

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1514094035740282882

Edwards soon followed up with a hammer dunk:

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1514094487366250497

The Clippers came as close as one point following Nicolas Batum's three-pointer one minute later, but Edwards' step-back three and Russell's ensuing step-back two from just inside the arc gave the Wolves a 104-98 lead.

George cut the lead in half with a three, but the Wolves crept away from there and now find themselves heading to Memphis.

    

George Does All He Can to Will Clippers to Playoffs

No one on the court played better than George in the second half, as the seven-time All-Star tried to put the Clippers on his back and into the playoffs.

He nearly pulled it off, getting it done on both ends of the floor.

All about the hustle. 😤

📺 @NBAonTNT | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/EfvO793YZN

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 13, 2022

George did his best work from behind the three-point line, though, as the Wolves simply could not stop him from deep. Back-to-back threes put L.A. up top 69-67.

Back-to-Back 3️⃣'s.

📺 @NBAonTNT | @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/ZTw0X3umw9

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 13, 2022

He ended up scoring 18 in the quarter and had 27 heading into the final 12 minutes.

Paul George is up to 15 points in Q3 🔥

The @LAClippers lead by 7 in the #MetaQuestPlayIn on TNT pic.twitter.com/nzHCm2mjG2

— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2022

George kept it going in the fourth, hitting this mid-range shot for a 95-90 lead:

Smooth with it.

📺 @NBAonTNT | @Yg_Trece pic.twitter.com/qBy1XCuPyw

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 13, 2022

Those were the only points scored during Minnesota's 16-2 run, though, forcing L.A. to scramble at the end. To George's credit, he kept things interesting with an assist on the Batum three before making a pair of three-pointers of his own.

The Wolves were simply too good down the stretch, though, and George and the Clippers now face a win-or-go-home game Friday.

       

What's Next?

Minnesota will play the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA playoffs beginning Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in FedExForum.

The Clippers will host the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs play-in game on Friday at 10 p.m. ET in Crypto.com Arena.

The victor there will be the No. 8 seed and begin their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden had a message for Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue: Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Complex's Zion Olojede asked Harden about comments Lue made about his free-throw shooting earlier in the year. The 10-time All-Star said they rolled off his back:

I don’t even pay attention to it. Free throws are a part of the game. You look at who leads the league, Joel and Giannis, what about if you take away their free throws? I don’t understand what that comment meant. Free throws are a part of the game. It’s on the defense to have discipline and not foul. That’s what coaches should be teaching their players. For me I don’t pay attention to it, I just try to go out there and make an impact on the game in a positive way every night.

Prior to a game against the Sixers in March, Lue remarked how Harden and Embiid are consistently able to draw fouls. He added he saw a stat supposedly laying out how neither player would be a top-10 scorer if their free throws were removed from the equation.

Here’s Ty Lue’s full pregame comments on Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden, some of which were taken out of context before last night’s game. pic.twitter.com/1aOQGdNtUK

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 26, 2022

The context got stripped away a bit, especially after Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey responded on social media. Lue wasn't so much criticizing Harden or Embiid as he was speaking on how the two are so difficult to stop when they have the ball in their hands.

Especially after landing with the Houston Rockets, Harden learned how to exploit the referee's whistle. His rip-through move was so effective that the NBA tweaked the rules in 2017 so that he couldn't deploy it with as much ease.

Harden's 7,044 made free throws are the ninth-most all-time and make him second behind LeBron James among active players.

The NBA's new rules of emphasis undoubtedly impacted Harden a bit, yet he has still knocked down an average of 7.2 shots per game from the charity stripe this year. It's safe to say that the 32-year-old won't deviate from his plan of attack anytime soon.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George downplayed the Patrick Beverley subplot when the veteran guard faces off against his old team in the NBA play-in tournament.

"I'm not going through Pat," George told reporters. "We're going through the T-Wolves. This is not a Paul George vs. Pat Beverley match. This is not a Pat Bev vs. Clippers matchup. ... I'm not even going to make that the narrative."

The seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves are locked in against the eighth-place Clippers for a matchup Tuesday in Minneapolis.

That will pit Beverley against his old team, and he might be carrying a bit of a chip on his shoulder given how he exited Los Angeles.

The 33-year-old explained on JJ Redick's Old Man and the Three podcast (via the Los Angeles Times' Andrew Greif) he wanted out once it became clear the Clippers weren't going to tender him the kind of contract he thought he deserved:

I’m thinkin' this contact extension is going to be easy, walk in and they throw me a number that I felt like was borderline disrespectful. So the conversation started with [president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank], and it was a heated little conversation, and L Frank is my guy. … Man, love him to death, that's my guy. And I looked him in his face and told him and my agent, man, L Frank knows he has to trade me. If he can't pay me, gotta trade me. From that point he told me [to] give me my teams, and Minnesota was in my top three.

There doesn't appear to be any lingering bad blood. Both George and Reggie Jackson praised how much Beverley's contributions have helped to lift the Timberwolves:

Some of the Clippers' thoughts today on facing Minnesota in the play-in Tuesday.

Reggie Jackson on the Timberwolves and seeing Pat Beverley: pic.twitter.com/5nl0tbwQGF

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) April 8, 2022

Paul George says he can see Pat Bev’s impact on the Wolves in how they play with energy and heart. He called Pat Bev their battery and engine. He says he told his close friend KAT just how much Pat Bev would help them.

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) April 10, 2022

Through 57 games, Beverley is averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Beyond the box score, his confidence and blunt honesty have rubbed off on a team that missed the playoffs for three straight years.

"When he's on the floor, when he's on the bench, we have a different mentality," Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns said of Beverley, comparing his contributions to how Draymond Green influences the Golden State Warriors.

Winning a title is the ultimate goal for Minnesota this season. Qualifying for the first round—and stymying the Clippers in the process—would probably be a good consolation prize for Beverley if the Wolves fall short of that objective.

It doesn't appear as though Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will return to game action imminently.

According to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, Clippers head coach Ty Lue said Friday that Leonard is still doing individual work and has not yet progressed to three-on-three.

The 30-year-old Leonard has not played at all this season due to a torn ACL suffered in last year's playoffs.

While Leonard has been working hard individually, it remains unclear if he will be able to return at all this season.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk appeared this week on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (h/t HoopsHype.com) and said there is still no timetable for his return.

Even without Leonard for the entire season and without Paul George for 50 games, the Clippers have managed to go 40-40 and clinched a spot in the Western Conference postseason play-in tournament, which begins Tuesday. 

George recently returned to provide the Clips with a major boost, as did trade deadline acquisition Norman Powell. Leonard returning as well would make L.A. one of the biggest threats out West.

Kawhi is one of the NBA's best when healthy, earning five All-Star nods and two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards during his career. He also led both the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors to a championship, being named NBA Finals MVP each time.

Injuries have been a major issue for Leonard in recent years, as he missed all but nine games in 2017-18 and hasn't appeared in more than 60 games in a regular season since.

Part of that has been by design with the Raptors and Clippers both trying to keep him fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

In 52 games last season, Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.9 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The cautious approach ultimately didn't work out for Leonard and the Clippers, though, as he tore his ACL during the second round of the playoffs.

L.A. made it to the Western Conference Finals last season for the first time in franchise history, but it is difficult to envision a repeat without Leonard, especially in a stacked conference headlined by the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.

The Los Angeles Clippers are eighth in the NBA's Western Conference standings, but team governor Steve Ballmer sits atop the rankings of the richest owners in sports.

Justin Birnbaum of Forbes provided a list of the publication's richest sports team owners for 2022, and Ballmer is No. 1 with a net worth of $91.4 billion. Not only is he in the pole position, but his net worth has also increased by 33 percent over the last year in large part because of improvements in Microsoft's stock.

The former Microsoft CEO purchased the Clippers for $2 billion eight years ago, and Forbes now values the franchise at $3.3 billion.

Ballmer is joined by Mukesh Ambani, Francois Pinault, Dietrich Mateschitz and Dan Gilbert in the top five. 

Ambani owns the Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League, Pinault owns Stade Rennais FC of Ligue 1 and Gilbert owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. Mateschitz owns the MLS' New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig of the German Bundesliga and Red Bull Racing of Formula 1, with the latter described as his "crown jewel" by Birnbaum.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen captured last year's Formula 1 drivers' championship, which ended Mercedes' streak of seven consecutive titles (six with Lewis Hamilton and one with Nico Rosberg). The sport has also skyrocketed in popularity thanks largely to the Netflix show Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

As for Ballmer, he is a regular presence courtside at Clippers games and is looking to bring the franchise its first championship.

They made ambitious additions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George prior to the 2019-20 campaign, but injuries have hampered the franchise's ability to reach the NBA Finals. Los Angeles lost to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals last season.

The Clippers sit eighth in the standings this season, although the potential return of Leonard to a lineup that again features George would make the team dangerous heading into the postseason. Leonard has not been ruled out for the playoffs and was seen shooting during Tuesday's practice.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is expected to make his long-awaited return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Utah Jazz, according to

The Athletic reported on George's return, with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reporting George will play "barring a setback pregame."

Those reports come after the Clippers upgraded him to questionable on Monday.

George has already missed 48 games this season, including 43 straight with a torn UCL in his right elbow. 

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after a 111-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 3 that George's status would be updated when he had another MRI on Feb. 24. 

In that same press conference, Lue said Kawhi Leonard is "probably not gonna come back" this season as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered in the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz in July. 

Despite not having George and Leonard for most of the season, the Clippers are still in the mix for a play-in spot. Their 36-39 record is eighth in the Western Conference. They rank eighth in the NBA in defensive rating (110.1), per Basketball-Reference.com. 

George has been the only source of consistent offense for the Clippers this season when he has played. The seven-time All-Star leads the team with 24.7 points and 5.5 assists per game in 26 starts.

No other Los Angeles player who has appeared in more than three games this season is averaging more than 16.9 points per game.

George's expected return comes with Los Angeles 6.5 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves (43-33) for seventh and four games up on the New Orleans Pelicans (32-43).

Crypto.com Arena announced new COVID-19 guidelines Friday related to the wearing of masks by fans.

As part of the announcement, the arena noted that those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer have to wear masks at the venue, while those who are not vaccinated must continue to wear masks unless they are eating or drinking:

Fully vaccinated fans no longer required to wear masks at Crypto.comArena pic.twitter.com/Y37kOJYh3z

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 25, 2022

Crypto.com Arena, which was previously known as Staples Center, is home to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

The change in policy at Crypto.com Arena comes amid cities across the United States loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

New York City has been among the most stringent locales in terms of its coronavirus rules to the point that they prevent unvaccinated players from playing in their home venues.

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated, has only been permitted to play in road games this season as a result.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said this week, however, that progress is being made toward ending the ordinance.

Even Toronto is loosening its COVID-19 restrictions despite Canada having even stricter guidelines than the U.S. for much of the pandemic.

No fans were allowed to attend Toronto Raptors home games for a period of time this season, but it was announced this month that fans will no longer require proof of vaccination to attend.

The state of California is moving toward easing restrictions as well, including the potentially eliminating the indoor mask mandate for students from kindergarten through 12th grade in the near future.

Getting rid of the mask mandate for vaccinated fans at Crypto.com Arena is among the first big steps the state has made in its attempt to ease its way back to normalcy.

The first event to occur at Crypto.com Arena with the new guidelines in place will be Friday night when the Lakers and Clippers clash in a key Western Conference tilt.

As the Los Angeles Clippers continue to fight for a playoff spot, they could be getting Paul George back from an elbow injury soon. 

Per Law Murray of The Athletic, George is still "resting his elbow but otherwise working out and staying in shape for the past several weeks in anticipation of a possible return in March" for the stretch run. 

Ty Lue says Paul George’s MRI reveals he is feeling better and making progress but that he “will need more time. He’s feeling better and that is the most important thing.”

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) February 26, 2022

George originally sprained the UCL in his right elbow during a Dec. 6 game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He missed the next four games before returning on Dec. 20. 

After playing 32 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22, the Clippers announced Paul would miss at least three weeks with a torn UCL before determining the next steps.

B/R's Jake Fischer reported on Jan. 12 the Clippers were "operating under the possibility" that George wouldn't return this season. 

Two weeks later, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast (starts at 55:00) that "surgery is a real option" and it would end George's season. 

According to Murray, the Clippers have been guarded in their optimism so far this month, even though George is making positive strides. 

The Clippers have played this entire season without Kawhi Leonard. He had surgery on July 13 to repair a partially torn ACL suffered in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. 

Los Angeles has never officially ruled out Leonard returning this season. Murray did note the two-time NBA Finals MVP recently showed up to the team's practice facility without a brace on his knee and took some jumpers, but there is no indication a return is imminent. 

George leads the Clippers in scoring average (24.7 points per game), assists (5.5) and ranks second in rebounding (7.1). The seven-time All-Star was only shooting 42.1 percent from the field prior to the injury. 

The Clippers (30-31) are in the mix for a spot in the play-in tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They will play their first game since the All-Star break on Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.     

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George said his on-court struggles during the 2020 NBA bubble at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida were closely tied to his sleep problems.

George joined former teammate Serge Ibaka on Wednesday's episode of the How Hungry Are You? show (h/t TMZ Sports) and the bubble was among the topics discussed.

"A lot of it was just weighing on me. For one, I wasn't sleeping. No lie, I probably went a good week-and-a-half, two weeks of zero sleep. I would lay in bed and my mind would be racing," George said, adding he tried various potential solutions.

The seven-time All-Star saw his offensive efficiency dip during the 2020 playoffs in Orlando. He averaged 20.2 points, his lowest postseason total since 2013 with the Indiana Pacers, while shooting just 39.8 percent from the field.

That drop in individual performance was made worse by the Clippers blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets in the second round.

"I ain't gon' make no excuses on it. ... We just blew it," George told Ibaka.

George returned to form the following season, averaging 23.3 points while shooting a career-high 46.7 percent from the field, and he was playing well during the current campaign before getting sidelined by an elbow injury. He last played Dec. 22.

Between his absence and the fact Kawhi Leonard has yet to play this season while recovering from a torn ACL, the Clippers have struggled to maintain any level of consistency. They sit eighth in the Western Conference with a 30-31 record.

It's unclear whether either George or Leonard will return before season's end, but if they both do, L.A. could quickly transform from a fringe playoff team into a title contender.

In George's case, he'd seemingly benefit from playing playoff games under normal circumstances rather than in a bubble.

The Sacramento Kings traded Marvin Bagley III to the Detroit Pistons as part of a four-team deal that also included the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles will head to the Kings as part of the trade. The Bucks are acquiring forward-center Serge Ibaka and cash considerations, while Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood head to the Clippers. Los Angeles will also receive the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic.

Sacramento received the draft rights to David Michineau in the deal.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported the deal.

Ibaka could serve as an integral rotation piece for a Milwaukee team looking to repeat as champions, while DiVincenzo may be a long-term centerpiece for a revamped Sacramento team. The Kings already acquired Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers earlier this week. 

When the Bucks made their title run last season, P.J. Tucker proved to be a valuable defender and rebounder in the postseason. He averaged 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 29.6 minutes per game across the playoffs.

With Tucker gone, that's likely the same kind of role Milwaukee is envisioning for Ibaka. The 32-year-old has also shown he can be effective in the postseason, having helped the Toronto Raptors win their first title in 2019.

The 6'10" Ibaka also provides much needed frontcourt depth considering the Bucks have been rolling with Bobby Portis, who isn't a natural 5, and a past-his-prime Greg Monroe at center. Starting center Brook Lopez has played only one game this season because of a back injury.

In the event the reigning champs made a reasonably big move ahead of the deadline, DiVincenzo was the most likely candidate to go.

The 25-year-old, who missed the start of the season due to ankle surgery, has been solid so far. For his career, he's averaging 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.

DiVincenzo didn't establish himself as an irreplaceable member of the rotation, though, particularly after missing the Bucks' entire title run last year. He's set to become a restricted free agent this summer, which also might have factored into the decision to trade him.

Bagley's departure from Sacramento was all but inevitable after his agent, Jeff Schwartz, publicly called out the Kings in October. Schwartz said it was "completely baffling" for the team to omit him from its opening-night rotation before criticizing the organization even further:

pic.twitter.com/SHRi6uBkKp

— excel sports (@excelsm) October 19, 2021

The situation took another turn when Sean Cunningham of ABC10 reported Bagley refused to enter Sacramento's 109-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 8. Former head coach Luke Walton didn't provide a ton of clarity when addressing the report.

Luke Walton responds to the reports that Marvin Bagley III refused to check in to the game on Monday pic.twitter.com/Za9sOjaN7n

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 11, 2021

It seemed clear a divorce was the best for both parties. The firing of Walton and hiring of Alvin Gentry as interim coach had a positive effect on Bagley. It was nevertheless too little too late to salvage his future in Sacramento.

This trade brings an end to an underwhelming three-plus-year run for the 22-year-old.

The former Duke standout is on a trajectory to be his generation's Sam Bowie, somebody remembered largely in connection to who was selected immediately after him in the NBA draft. The Kings passed on Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young to take the 6'11" forward in 2018. 

From that standpoint, a change of scenery could be beneficial. By moving to a new team, he may not burdened as much with being part of one of the biggest "what ifs" in Kings history. 

To this point in his career, Bagley is averaging 13.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks. He's also shooting 49.4 percent overall and 29.9 percent from beyond the arc. Although that isn't great production, it allows room for some optimism.

Staying healthy could go a long way toward raising his ceiling on the court. He missed 20 games as a rookie and then logged only 13 appearances during the COVID-19-pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign. A fracture in his left hand limited him to 43 games this past season.

A player's development will inevitably get derailed when he's spending prolonged spells over multiple years on the bench.

In general, there's nothing to indicate that Bagley is on the cusp of a breakout that will put him on the level of Young or Doncic. But he now has the fresh start he sorely needed and won't be expected to serve as a cornerstone of the roster.

Meanwhile, the Pistons get to see Bagley for the second half of the season before he becomes a restricted free agent in 2022. They're in an especially good position to take a flier on him.

The arrival of 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham didn't instantly transform Detroit into a contender. Right now, the front office is in asset-acquisition mode and is looking to see which players might fit as long-term pieces.

With Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant and Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons appear to have a solid foundation in their frontcourt. Perhaps Bagley can carve out a role as a reserve.

If he thrives in the Motor City, it might enable Detroit to trade Grant, since the 27-year-old forward might not be on the same timeline as his younger teammates.