Chris Kaman scored a game-high 25 points
and grabbed 11 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Clippers picked up their first win
of the season with a 93-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples
Center.
Eric Gordon added 17 points for the Clippers, who had lost their first four
games to begin the year. Baron Davis chipped in with 13 points, eight assists,
and six rebounds. Rasual Butler made just 3-of-15 shots on his way to 12
points for the victors.
"I'm happy about the win. we did a lot of good things," Clippers head coach
Mike Dunleavy said. "But we had too many turnovers that let them back into the
game."
Al Jefferson had 24 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row
since a season-opening win over the Nets. Corey Brewer tallied 14 points, six
assists, and four boards. Jonny Flynn and Oleksiy Pecherov each had 13 points
in defeat.
"I like the scrappiness of this team, especially the way they played in the
second half. They gave us a chance to win. I'm happy with the progress,"
Minnesota head coach Kurt Rambis said.
A pair of baskets by Jefferson tied the contest at 86 with just 1:45 to play.
A Gordon driving layup was followed by a Kaman free throw gave LA an 89-86
margin with 53.4 seconds remaining.
Jefferson's turnaround hook shot at the other end cut the deficit to one with
25.9 ticks left. Butler put the Clippers back up by three with a pair of foul
shots. The Timberwolves didn't back down, as Ryan Hollins' slam made it a
91-90 game with 13.2 seconds to go.
Once again, Butler made two shots from the charity stripe to put Los Angeles
back up by three. Brewer's three-point attempt was off the mark in the final
seconds.
Trailing 28-26, Los Angeles bridged the first and second quarters with an 11-0
run. Craig Smith's layup capped the spurt and made it 37-28 with 9:35 left
until half.
The Timberwolves responded with eight straight points to cut the gap to 37-36
with 7:22 to go. Ahead 52-48, the Clippers closed out the first half with a
Marcus Camby layup and three Davis free throws to make it 57-48.
Minnesota used a 16-5 run in the third frame to get back in the contest.
Jefferson's reverse layup topped off the flurry with 4:56 left, cutting the
deficit to 66-64. LA held onto a 71-70 edge heading to the fourth.
Game Notes
Camby had 15 rebounds and eight points for LA...The Clippers made 25-of-32
shots from the foul line, while the 'Wolves went 14-of-16 from the charity
stripe...Minnesota took two of its three meetings with the Clippers last
season, including both tilts at Staples Center.
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