Paul George's 32 points push Clippers to win in Minnesota / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix

Paul George finished with 32 points, six rebounds and eight assists as the Los Angeles Clippers (3-4) held on for a 126-115 (27-23, 31-31, 45-34, 23-27) win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (3-4) on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

Player of the Game EFF 32 Reggie Jackson Points 29 Accuracy 11-18 Rebounds 5 Assists 8

Reggie Jackson added 29 points and eight assists for Los Angeles, which earned back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

Nicolas Batum scored 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 6 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 28 points and contributed six assists. Karl-Anthony Towns (18 points, 11 assists) and Patrick Beverley (10 points, 10 rebounds) registered double-doubles.

The Timberwolves closed the gap to 118-113 on a driving layup by Edwards with 3:19 remaining. The Clippers answered with 3-pointers by Batum and Jackson to increase their lead to 124-113 with 1:31 left.

Los Angeles held a 103-88 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Clippers scored 45 points during the third quarter, which was punctuated by a 3-pointer by Luke Kennard from the left-wing. Terance Mann pushed the ball up the court and found Kennard for an open look in transition.

The 15-point deficit marked an ugly swoon for Minnesota, which led 70-68 with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter before being outscored 35-18 over the rest of the period.

The Clippers led 58-54 at the half.

Minnesota inched to a five-point lead late in the first quarter after Towns buried a 3-pointer off an assist from Beverley. But the Clippers closed the quarter on a 9-0 run that included a 3-pointer from Jackson and buckets from Justise Winslow, Kennard, and Mann.

The Timberwolves stayed close in the second quarter, pulling within 48-46 on a driving layup by Beverley with 3:16 to play. Los Angeles followed with a 10-0 run to go ahead by 12 before Minnesota responded with an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to four points before intermission.

Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell did not play because of an ankle injury. Beverley started in his place, and backup option Jordan McLaughlin contributed three points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Clippers: Paul George 32 (6 REB, 8 AST), Reggie Jackson 29 (5 REB, 8 AST), Nicolas Batum 20 (5 REB), Terance Mann 17, Ivica Zubac 10 (6 REB).

Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards 28 (6 AST), Karl-Anthony Towns 18 (11 REB), Malik Beasley 14, Jarred Vanderbilt 13 (8 REB), Josh Okogie 11, Naz Reid 11, Patrick Beverley 10 (10 REB, 8 AST).

Full game highlights

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