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Kawhi Leonard had 32 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 89-88 on Sunday in a physical and defensive game between two of the top four teams in the NBA Western Conference.
Norman Powell matched a season-high with 24 points, and Paul George added 15 points but shot just 5 of 16 from the field and was 3 of 11 from 3-point range.
“This was an old-school, 1985 game,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said. “But I loved the way we kept competing and kept guarding, defending.”
The Clippers played without Russell Westbrook after he fractured his left hand in a home victory over Washington on Friday night. Ivica Zubac returned after missing two games with an illness.
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves lost back-to-back games for just the third time this season.
“It was a very physical game,” said Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, who had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
