The Clippers head into Friday night trying to break out of a three-game skid, and the task is a steep one: a trip to Minneapolis as 9.5-point underdogs against a Timberwolves team that has opened 3-2.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Target Center, with the game carrying local and team broadcasts on KARE 11, DAZN-MIN, and ClipperVision.
This matchup comes with some recent history attached. The teams have met four times since Dec. 6, 2025, and Minnesota has taken three of those meetings.
The most recent game went the Clippers’ way, though, with Los Angeles winning 153-128 on March 11, 2026, as a 1.5-point favorite. Before that, the Timberwolves handled business on Feb. 26, 2026, winning 94-88 as 8.5-point favorites, and Minnesota also beat Los Angeles 109-106 on Dec. 6, 2025, in another game where the Timberwolves were laying 9.5.
The Clippers’ lone loss in that stretch from the source came on Feb. 8, 2026, when Minnesota was favored by 8.5 and Los Angeles fell 115-96.
From a betting standpoint, Minnesota’s numbers last season were solid but not untouchable. The Timberwolves went 38-44 against the spread overall, including a 9-13 mark when asked to cover as a favorite of 9.5 points or more.
They also saw 38 of their 82 games finish over the total. When Minnesota was the moneyline favorite last season, it won 69.5% of those games, going 41-18.
And when the line got especially steep at -345 or shorter, the Timberwolves were 18-8.
Los Angeles was nearly a .500 team against the spread a year ago, finishing 42-40-0. As a big underdog of 9.5 points or more, the Clippers went 2-1 ATS.
They also had 41 games go over the posted total last season. Overall, the Clippers won 12 of 36 games as the underdog, and when they were priced at +275 or higher, they went 1-4.
The injury report gives this game an even thinner margin for error. Minnesota lists Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards as out, with Edwards sidelined by a knee issue and DiVincenzo out with an Achilles injury. The Clippers are missing Jordan Miller, Max Strus, Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, Brandon Ingram, and Bradley Beal, while Rui Hachimura is day-to-day with a quadricep injury.
Friday’s game is set for Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In Other News...
LaMelo Ball Faces A Real Wolves Test In Bigger Spotlight
LaMelo Ball is about to get a different kind of Minnesota spotlight, one that usually comes with playoff-level scrutiny and very little room to breathe. The discussion around him has centered on how he handles physical perimeter defense, and the upcoming matchup offers a clean test for that part of his game, with the Wolves watching closely to see whether his shooting and playmaking hold up when the pressure ramps up.
Without Anthony Edwards in the mix, the defensive attention on Ball figures to be even sharper, which makes the matchup feel less like a routine regular-season night and more like a preview of the kind of resistance he would have to solve in a bigger setting. For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious: if Ball can keep creating against that sort of resistance, it strengthens the case that his game can translate when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Is Creating A Problem The Wolves Can't Afford Right Now
LaMelo Balls early run with Minnesota has come with a frustrating pattern the Timberwolves cant really ignore. Through the first seven games, foul trouble has followed him in six of them, cutting into his rhythm and limiting him to an average of 26 minutes a night at a time when the team is already trying to hold things together without Anthony Edwards.
The latest example came against the Spurs, when Ball was whistled early and never fully settled in. Minnesota needs his playmaking and energy on the floor, but the defensive lapses have kept undercutting that value, including a sequence against Victor Wembanyama that summed up the problem: too much contact, too little availability, and not enough margin for error right now. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Look Like A Team To Watch In Trade Talks
Anthony Edwards injury is the latest jolt in what has already become a rough early stretch around the NBA, and it lands especially hard for Minnesota. With several All-Stars already dealing with major setbacks, including Jalen Williams season-ending leg injury, the leagues opening weeks have started to feel less like a clean evaluation period and more like a stress test for front offices trying to hold their plans together.
For the Timberwolves, the immediate concern is obvious: Edwards is central to everything they do, and any extended absence changes the tone of the season before it really settles in. Around the league, injuries of this size tend to ripple beyond the standings, and this one could have front offices watching the calendar a little more closely as November approaches and trade chatter starts to pick up. [Read more 🡒]
