The Clippers won an “old-fashioned game like in 1985”

There were 13 seconds remaining when the throw-in was taken. With 3 points behind, the Wolves logically sought to find a winning basket. Karl-Anthony Towns was served at the head of the racket, but was unable to create his shot in the face of pressure from Terance Mann.

The interior then handed the leather to Anthony Edwards, who also could not draw from distance. He then dribbled in front of Paul George to dunk. Two points instead of three, and above all 10 seconds gone on the clock. The Clippers played intelligently the very last possession, with the Wolves failing to foul.

And the visitors ended up winning on the smallest of margins, after signing another big defensive sequence. With a cumulative 177 points, and two teams under 90 points, defense was the theme of the evening between two of the best teams in the West. “ It was a very physical match. There was a lot of contact, like in a playoff game. We started well, but as the match progressed, we struggled to get what we wanted. », Judge Rudy Gobert.

Less than 100 points, automatic victory

His team started the game perfectly, putting the Clippers' lead under water for a good part of the first quarter (30-18). But the clumsiness and lack of rhythm displayed by the locals in the second quarter allowed the visitors to take the lead when returning to the locker room.

The 24 minutes turned to basketball, which almost no longer exists in the regular season: rough, physical, intense… “ I like the way we resisted, the way we continued to defend. It was an old-fashioned game, like in 1985. Overall, it was one of our most complete games on defense “, enthuses Tyronn Luewhose team systematically wins this season when it limits its opponent to less than 100 points (9 successes).

His Clippers had no choice but to defend hard, to match the intensity of the best defense in the league. Because the Californians also had a lot of trouble scoring. Like Paul George who found skill, at mid-distance, in the last quarter, unlike James Harden who compensated for his 0/10 on shots with his 10 assists .

42-40 in the second half

“ We had to stay in the game, not give up. The shots did not fall on both sides. We stayed in the match and played 48 minutes. There were no shots fired. The only thing we could do was make it difficult for them », notes Paul George.

Mission accomplished because the Wolves were limited to 42 points in the second half, and only 38.8% success overall. Where the Clippers only scored 40 points for 37.6%…

“ It was a tough game, neither team shot over 40%, but that's my fault “, regrets Chris Finch who thinks he should have taken a time-out on the penultimate possession, where Rudy Gobert considers that the Wolves were ” not always on the same wavelength »

Tyronn Lue can be jubilant: “ Once we switched to defense and returned to our classic coverages, without taking two-man catches on Ant, we were more solid. These are complicated matches that must be won. On the road, scoring 89 points, shooting 38% and coming back with a victory against a very good team, that says a lot about your club. »