Los Angeles didn’t just steal one in Minneapolis — it took control late and never gave it back. The Clippers closed with a 35-point fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-96 on Saturday night at Target Center, turning a competitive three-quarter game into a lopsided finish.
How the game swung
The Clippers built the foundation before halftime, winning the second quarter 31-23 to take a 54-42 lead into the break. Minnesota’s offense struggled to generate consistent creation, finishing with 17 assists as Los Angeles repeatedly forced the Wolves into tougher, later-clock looks.
Any hope of a third-quarter reset never arrived. Los Angeles won the third 26-17, pushing the margin to 80-59 and setting up a fourth quarter that became more about damage control than comeback math.
Fourth-quarter surge seals it
Minnesota finally found some rhythm in the fourth, scoring 37 points — its best quarter of the night — but the Clippers were even sharper. Los Angeles answered with 35 of its own, a decisive combination of pace, spacing, and quick decisions that kept Minnesota from stringing together the stops required to make a run.
Ball movement told the story
The cleanest separator was playmaking volume. Los Angeles finished with 25 assists to Minnesota’s 17, a gap that reflected how often the Clippers created advantages early in possessions and converted them into organized looks. Minnesota, meanwhile, spent long stretches searching for solutions against a set defense, and the assist totals underline how rarely those possessions turned into easy finishes.
What it means going forward
For the Clippers (25-27), the win is a needed road statement and a reminder of what their offense can look like when it’s connected and decisive — especially in closing time. For Minnesota (32-22), the loss is a sharp result at home and another data point in a recent stretch of uneven form. The Wolves will take the late scoring as a small positive, but the first three quarters — and the assist deficit — are the areas that have to tighten quickly.
Final
Clippers 115, Timberwolves 96
Quarter scores: LAC 23-31-26-35 (115), MIN 19-23-17-37 (96)