The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally having a season that will extend into the postseason with hopes of advancing. It has been a very long time since that happened. The last time Minnesota won a playoff round was way back in 2004 when they reached the Western Conference Finals. Ultimately, the Timberwolves lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

That Timberwolves squad had Kevin Garnett on the team, a generational power forward. Well, what do you know? This team has one of those generational big men in Karl-Anthony Towns. He will be a difficult matchup for the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament. The winner of the Minnesota-Los Angeles play-in game will travel to Memphis to square off with the Grizzlies. That should be the Timberwolves.

Here are the three reasons the Timberwolves will beat the Clippers in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament.

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Why Timberwolves will beat Clippers in play-in tournament

1. Karl-Anthony Towns

It may sound simple, but Karl-Anthony Towns is the biggest reason the Timberwolves will defeat the Clippers. Los Angeles does not have anyone who can match up with him down low. The Clippers start Ivica Zubac at center. Zubac is a decent paint defender, averaging a block per game this season. But he is not known for his agility or quickness, and does not have any foot speed.

Towns is one of the most active, agile big men in the NBA. He is constantly moving on the court and can shoot from anywhere. That was proven when he won the 3-Point Contest at 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend.

When Towns isn't shooting from the outside, he should get whatever he wants on the inside. The Clippers finished the regular season 25th in paint points allowed at 50 per game. Expect a heavy dosage of Towns in this matchup.

2. Clippers' recent success a mirage

Clippers superstar Paul George recovered from his torn ulnar collateral ligament quicker than most thought he would. Since his return on March 29, the Clippers have been playing really well. That includes victories against the Jazz, Bucks, Pelicans, Suns and Kings. The Bucks and Suns wins appear as though maybe the Clippers will give the Timberwolves all they can handle. But when you look a bit deeper, you'll notice something.

Not all of the stars came out to play those nights. The Suns win is particularly tainted. Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton all sat out that game. So, I wouldn't exactly call that a hallmark win. The same thing happened when they played the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton all sat that game.

Plus, during that stretch, George himself is not playing as well as he is capable of. He only shot above 36 percent twice and posted 17 turnovers during that stretch.

In order for Los Angeles to pull off the upset over Minnesota, they will need George at his best.

3. Timberwolves' depth of scoring

Obviously, Minnesota will have the best player in the game in Towns (partially because PG-13 is not fully healthy, otherwise it's debatable). But the Timberwolves also have depth of scoring that the Clippers will have a difficult time trying to match, even with LA boasting a deep bench.

Anthony Edwards has proven to become an exceptional scorer in the NBA. In just his second season after being drafted first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Edwards is averaging over 21 points per game. He ranks 20th in the NBA in scoring. But Towns and Edwards are not the only legit scoring threats.

Timberwolves point guard D'Angelo Russell is also capable of taking over a ball game offensively. He averaged over 18 points per game while also ranking 11th in the NBA with 7.1 assists per game.

But Minnesota is not solely reliant on its offense either. They have one of the peskiest defenders in the entire NBA in Patrick Beverley. Beverley, a former Clippers guard, is one of the best at getting under his opponent's skin. That's always a nice player to have when games get tight late.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are challenged offensively. Paul George is a great scorer, but is not shooting the ball particularly well entering the play-in tournament.

This Clippers season has been a nice story this year. When they have George and Kawai Leonard healthy next season, they will be legitimate contenders. But in this game, they are stepping up in class and the Timberwolves should come out on top.