The NBA Cup begins Friday night for multiple teams in the NBA. Two of those teams include the Los Angeles Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers have lost three straight games after winning their open contest. Two of the losses came against their in-city rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Timberwolves have lost their last two games, including a home loss against the Warriors. It was Minnesota’s first game playing without Anthony Edwards since he announced he needed knee surgery. LaMelo Ball looked lost without his new running mate, only posting 8 points and 6 turnovers. Minnesota will need Ball to run the offense effectively for the two months this team will be without Edwards.
It was a night and day difference for the Timberwolves before and after Edwards was in the lineup. In their first four games, Edwards elapsed 40 points twice and the Timberwolves offense looked fluid. They had an offensive rating of 117.8 and an average margin of victory of 17 points. The sample size is small, but without Edwards, Minnesota had an offensive rating of 106.5, a difference of 11.3 points per 100 possessions. Ball did not step up in the way Minnesota needed. Head coach Chris Finch substituted Ball off the floor for key stretches of this game, instead deciding to go with lineups that included Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. These struggles have gone on for more than one game for Ball. Outside of his opening game against Miami, Ball has failed to score more than 15 points in a single game, and he has 13 combined turnovers in his last two games. I’m not certain Ball will correct his play in this game, especially before he is able to build chemistry with his new team. The pairing of Ball and Rudy Gobert has not gelled yet for the Timberwolves. Gobert’s shortcomings on offense has limited Ball’s ability to throw lobs to his center. Gobert has really struggled this week, going a combined 0-13 in his last two games. Gobert has even fallen short in areas he normally excels in. Through 5 games, Gobert only has 2 blocked shots. Until we see a good game out of the Timberwolves without Edwards, Minnesota should be a team that we fade.
Clippers +7.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at +4.5.
