The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers are meeting in an NBA Summer League Consolation Game after both teams finished 2-2 in their first four outings.
Minnesota’s path was a little more up-and-down than the record suggests. The Timberwolves opened with losses to the Nuggets and Blazers, then bounced back with wins over the Pelicans and Pacers. The Clippers followed a different rhythm, alternating defeats and victories as they lost to the Kings and Lakers while beating the Jazz and Wizards.
Both clubs were idle on Thursday after winning on Wednesday, so they come into this matchup with a bit of rest behind them.
One of the biggest names to keep an eye on is Keaton Wagler, who has had a few days off after sitting out the second half of a back-to-back situation on Wednesday. The fifth overall pick is putting up 15.3 points per game, though he’s doing it on 34.2% shooting and 35.3% from three. He’s also averaging three assists and 1.7 turnovers per game as he tries to finish Summer League on a strong note before his rookie season begins.
The scoring trend points toward a lively finish here. Minnesota has scored at least 101 points in all four of its games, while the Clippers have reached 99 or more in each of their last three. In their most recent outings, Minnesota posted 114 points and Los Angeles scored 108.
I’ll take the OVER tonight as these players get one last chance to show off this summer.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Solved One Problem And Created A Bigger One
LaMelo Ball and Josh Green have changed the Timberwolves look in a hurry, giving Minnesota a real upgrade at point guard after the roster-shaping trades that sent Naz Reid, Julius Randle and draft capital out the door. It is the kind of move that can make a team feel more dynamic overnight, and for a club trying to stay in the Western Conference mix, the appeal is obvious.
The catch is that the Wolves did not just solve one problem, they also thinned out a frontcourt that already needed attention and pushed the front office into a tighter financial corner. Tim Connelly has already acknowledged the need for creativity at power forward, and Minnesota still has work to do just to get to a 14-man roster while staying close to the second apron, so the next move may say as much about the teams flexibility as the first one did about its ambition. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves May Be Running Out Of Time With This Core
The Timberwolves have spent the last few seasons building around a young core that looks good on paper and, at least for now, is locked in through 2029. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels give Minnesota the kind of talent base most teams would love to protect, but the problem is the price tag that comes with keeping a contender intact in the NBAs new financial climate.
The second tax apron has a way of turning long-term optimism into immediate roster math, and Minnesota is headed toward those same decisions. Edwards is likely to wait until next summer for his supermax, Balls next deal should land well north of $40 million a year, and McDaniels is also in line for a major payday, which means the Wolves may have only a narrow window to keep this group together before the pressure starts forcing harder choices about who stays and how much flexibility remains. [Read more 🡒]
Wolves Fans Are Split On What Ayo Dosunmu Will Be Worth
Ayo Dosunmus place in Minnesota has become one of those roster questions that says as much about team-building as it does about one player. Once the Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball, Dosunmus value shifted from standalone scorer to complementary piece, the kind of versatile guard who can slot next to Ball and Anthony Edwards without needing the ball to define his night.
That is why the reaction around his contract has been so divided. Some fans see a player whose all-around game fits the profile of the useful pieces that tend to show up on championship teams, while others focus on the price tag and wonder whether Minnesota is paying for a ceiling that still needs proving. The broader market view is more forgiving, with Dosunmu expected to land well below the leagues highest-paid names, which only sharpens the debate over whether the Wolves found a bargain or simply committed early to a role player whose value will be judged by what happens around him. [Read more 🡒]