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2026-27 · Regular season
Minnesota Timberwolves beat LA Clippers 127-101 as LaMelo Ball scores 24 and Jaden McDaniels adds 23
LaMelo Ball hit six threes and Jaden McDaniels made 11 of 15 shots as Minnesota, without Anthony Edwards, answered a Clippers run with a 20-2 burst in the fourth quarter of both teams' NBA Cup group opener.
In this article
LaMelo Ball scored 24 points and Jaden McDaniels added 23 on 11-of-15 shooting as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the LA Clippers 127-101 at Target Center on Friday, October 30, in both teams’ opener in Emirates NBA Cup group play. Minnesota, playing without Anthony Edwards after his knee surgery, is 4-2. The Clippers are 1-4.
Ball made 6 of 15 threes and had 7 assists, and McDaniels had 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Bones Hyland scored 19 points with 8 assists off the bench, and the Timberwolves scored 62 points in the paint.
Video: NBA / X.
How it turned
The Clippers led 16-13 midway through the first quarter. Minnesota answered with a 16-4 run and led 34-24 after one. Hyland scored 10 points in the second quarter, and the Wolves led 69-56 at halftime.
LA got within 79-71 midway through the third, but Minnesota closed the quarter strong to lead 98-81. The Clippers then opened the fourth with nine straight points, and Darius Garland’s layup made it 98-90 with 8:30 to play.
Minnesota scored 20 of the next 22 points. Ayo Dosunmu started it with a three, Ball hit three shots from 26 feet or deeper, and McDaniels scored three times, the last on a dunk off a pass from Ball. Dosunmu’s layup made it 118-92 with 3:48 left, and the lead reached 29 a minute later.
Video: Minnesota Timberwolves / X.
The numbers
Minnesota shot 51 of 96 from the field and 18 of 43 from three, with 32 assists on its 51 baskets. Dosunmu had 15 points and 7 rebounds, Rudy Gobert had 9 points and 13 rebounds, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 11, and Trey Lyles had 10. The Wolves committed 12 turnovers to the Clippers’ 18.
LA’s side
Garland scored 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including 4 of 8 threes. Brook Lopez had 13 points off the bench, Rui Hachimura scored 12, and Keaton Wagler had 12 points but made 2 of 11 shots. Isaiah Jackson had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting. The Clippers were without Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Max Strus, Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Jordan Miller.
What’s next
The Timberwolves visit the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, October 31, at 8 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Sunday Cairo time). The Clippers visit the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, November 1, at 8:30 p.m. ET (3:30 a.m. Monday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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