The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-88 on Thursday night, February 26, 2026, in a hard-fought defensive battle at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The loss marked another tough outing for the short-handed Clippers, who struggled to contain Minnesota’s star power down the stretch despite a competitive effort through three quarters.
Anthony Edwards led the way for the surging Timberwolves with 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting, including a clutch step-back three-pointer over two defenders with 42.9 seconds remaining that pushed Minnesota’s lead to 92-88 and effectively sealed the victory. Edwards, fresh off his All-Star Game MVP performance at the same venue, added 5 assists and showed why he’s one of the league’s most explosive talents. Donte DiVincenzo provided valuable secondary scoring with 18 points, helping the Timberwolves improve to 37-23 while snapping a potential Clippers momentum shift.
The game featured low-scoring quarters typical of two strong defensive teams. Minnesota jumped out to a 29-27 lead after the first period, but the Clippers clawed back in the second with better execution, though both sides combined for dismal three-point shooting in that frame (the Timberwolves and Clippers missed all 16 combined three-point attempts in the second quarter alone, contributing to a sluggish 15-11 Minnesota advantage in the period). Los Angeles surged in the third, outscoring the visitors 30-19 to take a lead into the fourth.
However, the Clippers—playing without key contributors like Kawhi Leonard and John Collins—couldn’t sustain their momentum in the final frame. Minnesota outscored them 31-20 in the fourth, with Edwards’ late heroics proving decisive. A reverse layup from Edwards gave the Timberwolves the lead for good with about 7:40 left, and despite a late push from Los Angeles (including a layup from Derrick Jones Jr. that cut it to 89-88 with 1:05 remaining), they couldn’t close the gap.
The Clippers got contributions from unexpected sources, with solid defense and balanced scoring keeping them in contention most of the night. Derrick Jones Jr. had an efficient showing, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including timely buckets. Yet the absence of their star power proved costly against a Minnesota team that’s been rolling since the All-Star break.
This defeat dropped Los Angeles to 27-31, highlighting ongoing challenges with injuries and consistency at home. For the Timberwolves, it was a gritty road win in a low-scoring affair (their first victory of the season when failing to reach 100 points in some reports), underscoring their defensive identity and Edwards’ ability to take over in crunch time.
The Intuit Dome crowd witnessed an intense, back-and-forth contest that lived up to the defensive reputations of both squads, but it was Minnesota that walked away with the victory in this Western Conference matchup. The Clippers will look to bounce back and get healthier, while the Timberwolves continue their push up the standings.
