Paul George, Norman Powell, and the Los Angeles Clippers are preparing to take on Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. The game will feature the Western Conference's seventh and eighth seeds, with the winner taking the No. 7 seed. In advance of the West's first play-in game, here are the Clippers' bold predictions for the big matchup against the Wolves.
The Clippers came into the season with championship aspirations, but were unsure how far they could really go with the uncertainty of Kawhi Leonard's status. The regular season has come and gone with no increased clarity on where the two-time NBA Finals MVP is on a possible return.
Despite not having Kawhi Leonard all season and losing Paul George for over 50 games, the Clippers were still able to secure a 42-40 record. Their season featured four comebacks of at least 25 points, including some timely heroics from guys like Reggie Jackson, Amir Coffey, Luke Kennard, and even midseason addition Robert Covington, who came over in the trade with Norman Powell.
Click here for the odds for the Clippers' play-in game against the Timberwolves, courtesy of FanDuel.
The Minnesota Timberwolves started the season with a 4-9 record, but quickly found their groove and finished 46-36. This is the franchise's best record since since they won 47 games in 2017-18. The 46 wins also marked the second-highest win total for the Timberwolves franchise since the 2003-04 season.
Here are some Clippers bold predictions for the 7-8 matchup against Minnesota Timberwolves.
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LA Clippers Play-In Predictions
3. The Clippers will trail by double digits in the first quarter, but come back to win
In 11 of the Clippers' 82 games this season, they trailed by double figures after one quarter of play. That doesn't even account for games in which they trailed by double- igures at any point, but got it to within single digits after one quarter of play.
Up until recently, the Clippers have really been slow starters. They seem to always get behind early, get punched first, and then retaliate with some kind of big rally in the final three quarters.
It wouldn't be at all surprising to see the Clippers fall down early, even if just to see how the Timberwolves are playing them on both sides of the floor. On top of that, Minnesota will have a very raucous fan base and home-court advantage.
2. Norman Powell scores 30+ points
Since joining the Clippers, Norman Powell is averaging 21.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 50.8 percent shooting from the field and 54.2 percent from downtown. Powell has essentially been automatic for the Clippers this season.
Powell, however, has only played in two games with his Clippers since his return from the toe injury. The two games did offer an intriguing glimpse into what Paul George and Norman Powell look like playing off each other.
“All the guys are excited, playing along PG, it still doesn’t seem real me,” Powell said after his first game with Paul George. “He was a guy that I looked up to growing up, a guy, we had some battles in Toronto in the playoffs, and early on in my career he gave me some words of encouragement – my rookie year, that stuck with me. So being able to play alongside with him, and Kawhi when he gets back healthy, it’s going to be fun. So I’m definitely looking forward to that.”
The duo is undefeated in the two games they played together this past week, and they'll look to carry that over to the play-in tournament.
1. Clippers win decisively by 10+ points
The Clippers are entering Tuesday night's game against the Timberwolves as 3.5-point underdogs, according to FanDuel. Since Paul George has returned to the Clippers, though, the team has been a different animal.
LA went 5-1 over their final six games, with the only loss being a five-point loss to the Chicago Bulls in overtime. George was not allowed to play in that extra frame due to a minutes restriction, and it took a DeMar DeRozan 50-burger to lose. They won each game by an average of 20 points per game, and while their opponents weren't the toughest, much of the focus over the last few weeks were about the Clippers themselves. They've shot the lights out of the 3-ball, reducing the amount of long 2s and breaking their game down into paint scoring or 3-point scoring.
The Timberwolves have some really good players on their team. Heck, they shouldn't even have to play a play-in game having finished the regular season 12 games over .500, but here we are. Minnesota's got the top-end talent, but they don't have the depth to match the Clippers' deep bench of reserves. 12 players who have suited up for the Clippers this season actually scored at least 25+ points in a game, displaying the depth and experience this team is entering the play-in tournament with.
“It’s been a great learning experience for all of our young guys and they’ve been in big games down the stretch,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of the young Clippers players' big moments without their stars. “And so now with PG coming back and Norm coming back, these guys have been battle-tested all year long, so they’re in a good place.”
The Clippers have been rolling, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if they continue to steamroll anyone in their way.
And those are my LA Clippers bold predictions for the play-in tournament game against the Timberwolves.
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