Minnesota gave the Clippers everything it had on the second night of a Los Angeles back-to-back, but Doc Rivers and the Clips managed to hold off a late charge to hang on for the 109-107 victory on Monday at Staples Center.
Timberwolves vs. Clippers final score: Los Angeles holds off Minnesota at the buzzer
Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Love all miss chances to tie the game in final moments as Clips hang on tight.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
More: Canis Hoopus Clips Nation
With Minnesota down by two points with the ball and six seconds remaining, Kevin Martin missed a contested jumper, Nikola Pekovic missed a follow-up after an offensive rebound, Kevin Love blew a point-blank tip-in and the Clippers held on for dear life as time expired.
And this one was a back-and-forth affair in the final frame.
Los Angeles broke off a 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to give the Clippers a nice cushion to work with, but the Timberwolves cut the lead to two points with 3:26 remaining after a 10-1 run that spanned 56 seconds. It was all for naught, however, as those three different final chances for Minnesota bounced harmlessly off the rim.
Blake Griffin had 25 and 10 boards, and Jamal Crawford had 16 points off the bench, including this pretty sweet buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter:
(GIF via @anthonybain)
Chris Paul had another double-double for the Clippers with 21 points and 11 assists, and DeAndre Jordan had 14 and 11 boards.
In the loss, Martin had 30 points for Minnesota, already his third performance of 30 points or more on the season. Pekovic had his best game of the year thus far with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Love was his normal, unbelievable self with 23 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.
Ho-hum.
More from SB Nation NBA:
See More:
