Clippers Not Quite There

As the Clippers prepared to face the Minnesota Timberwolves, Western Conference finalists a year ago and a possible heir to the Laker conference throne, center Chris Wilcox put a blue-collar perspective on the situation.

“Another day, another problem,” Wilcox said.

This problem got a tad bigger after a weary-looking bunch of Timberwolves, playing their second game in as many nights, held off a Clipper challenge with a 107-100 overtime victory in front of 17,587 at Staples Center on Saturday night.

It was Minnesota’s eighth consecutive victory over the Clippers, who bumped their heads on the NBA have and have-not ceiling again.

The Clippers came into the game with a five-game winning streak, their best since the 1995-96 season. But, as in reality-check games against Detroit and Phoenix, this was another moment that the Clippers weren’t quite ready to pass a test against one of the league’s better teams.

“I would like it to be the day we’re the test for somebody else,” Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “I think that day will come.”

Sam Cassell helped make sure that day is still in the future. While Kevin Garnett, the league most valuable player last season, had a rare off night, Cassell was there to pick up the slack.

He scored 30 points, eight in overtime, and had 10 assists. That included turning a Corey Maggette turnover into a layup to give the Timberwolves a 101-96 lead with 58 seconds left.

“You love him and hate him, all in the same game, sometimes on the same play,” Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders said of Cassell. “One thing about him, he’s not a guy who is afraid to take the big shots.”

Cassell did enough to send Minnesota to its fifth consecutive victory and left the Clippers grasping at another moral victory -- they were again able to push one of the league’s best teams.

And, again, come up short.

“When we start facing the upper-echelon teams, people are ready to write us off,” the Clippers’ Elton Brand said. “We don’t mind. According to some people, we shouldn’t have won the games we’ve already won.”

The Clippers had a chance to win another, with two shots at the end of regulation. After Garnett’s 10-foot turnaround jumper in the lane tied the score, 92-92, with 25 seconds left, Rick Brunson and Bobby Simmons had chances at game-winning shots.

But Brunson missed a 17-footer and Simmons’ off-balance try at the buzzer tipped off the side of the rim.

“Down the stretch, we got what we wanted as far as I’m concerned,” Dunleavy said. “However we failed to make two decent-looking shots.”

The Clippers spent the game proving they could compete with Minnesota, but also showed they weren’t quite ready to win against the Timberwolves.

They came into the game leading the league in field-goal percentage but shot 47% from the field. They turned the ball over 20 times, which led to 23 Minnesota points. The Clippers were only 19 of 27 from the free-throw line, including a miss by Brunson with 47 seconds left that kept the Timberwolves within a basket, 92-90.

“They showed they know how to win by making the plays,” Simmons said.

What kept the Clippers in the game was Maggette, who matched his career high with 34 points, 27 in the second half. He scored nine of the Clippers’ last 11 points in the third quarter to keep the game close.

But the Clippers’ received some less-than standard performances. Brand made only four of 10 shots and scored 10 points, Wilcox had six points and four rebounds and Marko Jaric made only four of 11 shots.

“There were too many turnovers and we gave a really good team too many chances to win,” Dunleavy said.

Garnett struggled as much, if not more. He was not at his marquee-best Saturday. He had 22 points and 15 rebounds but made only nine of 24 shots.

“If we play this well against every team like we played tonight, we will show up in the win column,” Dunleavy said.