D’Angelo Russell had 19 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards had 17 apiece and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 128-100 on Monday night in a preseason matchup at Toyota Arena.
The Timberwolves won their third game in a row, while the Clippers dropped to 1-3 while tuning up for the regular season starting next week.
Luke Kennard had 18 points, Terance Mann had 15 and Ivica Zubac added 10 for the Clippers.
Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and Marcus Morris were out (rest). Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Serge Ibaka (back) continued to be out while recovering from injuries.
Patrick Beverley, who was traded from the Clippers in the off-season, was courtside in street clothes for the Timberwolves while sitting out as well.
Beverley was well known as the heart and soul for Los Angeles, bringing his intensity and fierceness night after night over the years. There was no love lost between him and his former teammates.
“Just seeing him on the other side makes me emotional a bit,” Mann said on seeing his former veteran.
“It was definitely weird him cheering for the other guys… It was fun seeing him, we miss him a lot,” Zubac said. “I told him that’s not how it’s going to work in the season, we’re going to beat you guys.”
Minnesota shot 51 percent from the floor and outrebounded Los Angeles (50-44), adding 30 fast break points while holding the Clippers to only 11.
“Sense of urgency, that’s really it. Transition is, you know, on you,” Mann said on what the team needs to improve on. “It’s how much effort you want to give getting back on defense. We got the guys to do it so we should be fine.”
“We’ve gotta get better,” Zubac said.
A bright spot for the Clippers was the three-point shooting by Mann and Kennard, who combined to make 7 of 18 shots from behind the line.
“It’s nice, me and Luke play really well together,” Mann said. “You know having him out there is a weapon. Anytime you have a serious weapon out there it’s nice to be on the floor with them.”
The Clippers will next prepare to take on the Golden State Warriors on the road in its season opener on Oct.21 at the Chase Center at 7:00 p.m.
“We have to be smart about using these ten days to get into better shape and make sure our players get more continuity because they haven’t played long games together,” Lue said on managing the teams’ days off before opening night. “We got to make sure those guys are on the same page, so we have to do a lot of playing.”
