LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers went through their second-to-last dress rehearsal of the season Saturday night, with another scheduled for Sunday night. With the Minnesota Timberwolves resting Karl-Anthony Towns for their final game of the regular season, the Clippers will also be resting Paul George, Norman Powell, and Marcus Morris in their own game.
That sets the stage for what should be a couple of well-rested teams to face off Tuesday night for the seventh seed.
The only thing standing between the Clippers and a playoff spot is Patrick Beverley, the guy who helped them reach their first-ever Wester Conference Finals last season.
Paul George wants to make one thing clear, however: Tuesday's game isn't going to be about Beverley and the Clippers attempting getting through him. It'll be about the LA Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We're not going through Pat,” Paul George said when asked if it's weird to have to go through Beverley after their strong playoff run last year. “We're going through the T-Wolves. This is not a Paul George vs. Pat Beverley matchup, this isn't a Pat Bev vs. the Clippers matchup. We gotta go through the Timberwolves, and the Timberwolves have to stop the Clippers. So, I'm not even gonna make that the narrative. That's not the narrative going into that play-in game. Fact of the matter is, both of us are trying to win to lock the spot up.”
Minnesota currently sits 46-35 with only one game remaining thanks in large part to the play of Karl-Anthony Towns. Anthony Edwards has also taken his game to another level, becoming the second 20-point scorer the Wolves lacked alongside Towns the last few years. D'Angelo Russell, when healthy, has provided some steady play at the point guard position.
“They're a good team,” Norman Powell explained after the Clippers win. “They got a lot of weapons. They're young and athletic. They like to get up and down and they can hurt from various ways. KAT's really good shooting the 3, he can hurt you there, he can hurt you in the post. Anthony Edwards is aggressive, downhill attacking, shooting the ball really well this year. A ton of confidence. DLo has been great for them. He's a crafty player, he can score at all three levels. So it's gonna be fun competing against them in the play-in. It's my first play-in, so I'm kind of excited about that. Hopefully a matchup we can win.”
Beverley has been a big reason for the Timberwolves improved play this season. He's got them playing harder as well as smarter, and it's clear the team has taken on the grit-n-grind mentality.
“I definitely see a team that is confident,” George added on the Wolves. “I see a team that has believed and they play with some heart. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of my closest friends in the league and so I told him immediately when they got Pat Bev that he’s going to change a lot of stuff, whether it is good or bad. He is going to make an impact. And he’s doing that. Pat Bev has been, really, the battery and the engine that they needed to have. They have so much talent over there, but they needed someone to kind of push them. That is what I am seeing, a team that is competing now, they play hard, they’re talented and they got, just like us, a lot of guys that are versatile. They are one of the top eight teams in the West for a reason, and we got our work cut out for us going into Minnesota.”
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue stated that Paul George, Norman Powell, and Marcus Morris would all sit out Sunday's season finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The duo of George and Powell will finish having played just two games together, but they've been two very successful games.
In their two games together, Norman Powell is averaging 22.0 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 70 percent from 3. Paul George is averaging 21.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range.
Despite the low game total, this Clippers duo believes they've seen enough to enter Tuesday's game with confidence.
“I see a lot of similarities in how we played them in Portland and the way they play here,” Norman Powell explained. “The matchups and the style of play. We had some good battles in Portland against them. I think they got the better of us a few times, but i'm excited. They won the series this year 3-1, and they have something working. Obviously that doesn't matter in the play-in, but just continue to do what I do, play off those guys, be aggressive, let the game come to me.
“Honestly, it really doesn't matter how long I've been on this team. We have veteran guys that know the game, know how to play, and I've been playing in many different roles and lineups and positions my whole career, so it's pretty easy for me to fit in and find ways to be effective.”
The Clippers and Timberwolves are set to tip off Tuesday night's game at 6:30 p.m. PT on TNT. The winner will be the seventh seed and take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The loser will play for the eighth seed Friday night against either the San Antonio Spurs or New Orleans Pelicans.