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The LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves are facing off in the NBA's play-in tournament on Tuesday night. It'll be a matchup featuring a veteran-laden, experienced team versus one that's younger and up-and-coming in the ever-competitive Western Conference.
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Here are three reasons why Paul George, Norman Powell, and the LA Clippers will defeat Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
3. Clippers will have the second and third best players on the court
Karl-Anthony Towns was an All-Star for the third time this season, and rightfully so. The team with the best player usually wins, but that likely won't be the case on Tuesday night.
The Clippers are going to unleash both Paul George and Norman Powell. Both players are expected to either be fully off their minutes restrictions or at least close to it for Tuesday night's game.
Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell have played well for the Wolves, but there's a pretty easy case to be made that George and Powell are the best duo on the floor during Tuesday's game.
2. Clippers are the much deeper team
The LA Clippers are entering Tuesday night's matchup with Luke Kennard's status in question, but he's not going to suit up. Even with him out, the Clippers can go 10-deep with these starters and reserves:
Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann
Paul George – Norman Powell
Nicolas Batum – Amir Coffey
Marcus Morris – Robert Covington
Ivica Zubac – Isaiah Hartenstein
This Clippers team has had 12 different players this season go for at least 25 points in a single game, with Robert Covington popping off for 46 points. It's not just the scoring, however.
There isn't another team in the Western Conference with as many solid wing players to defend and play both ends of the floor. Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington have both played the small-ball center, while Norman Powell and Terance Mann have shown the ability to play point guard and lead the team.
“I think the development of our young guys like Amir, T Mann, Luke, even Zu…” Tyronn Luke said. “It’s been a great, learning experience for all of our young guys and they’ve been in big games down the stretch, big moments 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.”
1. Tyronn Lue, the Coaching genius
The Clippers will have the best coach in this matchup, and arguably the best coach in the NBA. No one is better at preparing a game plan and executing adjustments on the fly better than Tyronn Lue.
The Clippers tested their game plan for the Timberwolves out earlier this year when Lue's club won three of the four matchups. In the wins, Lue started Nicolas Batum on Karl-Anthony Towns, allowing Ivica Zubac to guard the power forward Jarred Vanderbilt and entice him to shoot. That also allowed the Clippers to switch everything on screens involving Towns, while not making Zubac run around the perimeter to defend guards.
According to both Patrick Beverley and Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves are prepared and are expecting coverages similar to how the Clippers defended them earlier in the season. When asked about it at practice last week, Lue just smiled and said, ‘We'll see.'
