Does ‘Playoff P’ strike again?

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers will contest the first play-in game in the West. The winner of the duel will earn a ticket to the playoffs, while the loser will get another chance to play the winner of the match-up between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Minnesota Timberwolves – Statistics & current form

The Timberwolves lost their final game of the regular season, giving their top centre Karl-Anthony Towns a breather in the process. However, the “Big Man” will now return to action against the Clippers.

In addition, Minnesota won the last direct duel against the Clippers last January, after the first three duels of the season always ended in favour of the Californians.

In addition, the home side will rely on their strong offence: Only six teams ranked ahead of the Timberwolves in the NBA’s rating after the end of the regular season. By comparison, their upcoming opponents are ranked only sixth-last in the league.

LA Clippers – Statistics & current form

The Clippers stepped up their game towards the end of the regular season. They were able to win all of their last five league games. The return of Paul George, in particular, has been huge for LA.

“Playoff P” previously missed more than three months but is now available again after overcoming injury. However, Kawhi Leonard remains unable to suit up, leaving the Clippers without at least one of their top two stars unbroken.

George has also been consistently convincing against the Timberwolves in his three appearances during the season. In the three games, he always delivered the best scoring output of all players on the court!

Minnesota Timberwolves – LA Clippers Tip

For the duel between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers, the tip on more than 40.5 points, rebounds and assists by Paul George on the side of the visitors seems profitable.

Without Kawhi Leonard, who is still injured, the shooting guard is the undisputed leader of the Californians and with his great experience he is well prepared for the particularly high mental demands of the upcoming deciding game.

In addition, the previous season duels with Minnesota have shown that the home side will find it difficult to defend him. In his three outings, the 31-year-old averaged 41.6 points, rebounds and assists.