Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Date: February 26th, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM CST
Location: Aspiration Dome
Television Coverage: Prime Video, FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
There are two versions of the 2025-26 Minnesota Timberwolves, and at this point I’m convinced they share custody of the same locker room.
Version A is the Sunday matinee squad that sleepwalks through games, forgets how to rotate defensively, and treats urgency like it’s an optional
add-on package. That team got run out of its own building by Philadelphia.
Version B? That’s the feisty, ball-popping, defensive-snarl version we saw in Portland. The one that looks like it actually enjoys playing basketball. The one that remembers it has Rudy Gobert, a Defensive Player of the Year anchor, and the blossoming “face of the league” in Anthony Edwards.
Tuesday night in Portland, Version B showed up.
From the opening tip, Minnesota looked nothing like the half-asleep group that surrendered 135 points to the Sixers. The ball was humming. The defense had teeth. Gobert, fresh off his one-game suspension, returned to the paint like a bouncer who’d just been told someone trashed his club while he was away. He cleaned the glass, altered shots, and reestablished physicality.
The Wolves never blew the doors off Portland, but they controlled the tone. Even when the Blazers clawed back and the fourth quarter tightened into one of those familiar “are we really doing this again?” moments, Minnesota responded. They hit timely shots. They made defensive stops. They showed composure.
This is where we give deserved credit to Portland. That’s a young, scrappy team that doesn’t fold. But this game ultimately showcased the difference between a team learning how to win and one that’s been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. When it mattered, the Wolves executed.
And now comes the next test: the Los Angeles Clippers.
No More Sleepwalking
If you remember the last meeting with the Clippers, it was another one of those sleepy Sunday disasters. Minnesota looked disinterested. Kawhi Leonard looked like someone injected the 2019 playoffs into his veins, dropping 41 points en route to a complete evisceration of the Wolves.
This time, it’s a Thursday night road game in Los Angeles. No Super Bowl matinee. No brunch vibes. Prime time.
As was the case in the previous meeting, the post-trade deadline Clippers are in transition. James Harden is in Cleveland. Ivica Zubac is in Indiana. Darius Garland, newly acquired, isn’t ready to go yet. On paper, Minnesota has the clear talent advantage. But if this season has taught us anything, it’s that “on paper” means absolutely nothing to this Wolves team if they decide to nap through the first half.
So let’s get into it.
# 1: Actually Show Up This Time
It sounds absurd that this has to be said about a team with a legit aspiration (see what I did there?) to grab the 3-seed in the Western Conference, but here we are.
Effort is the swing factor with Minnesota. When they’re engaged, they can suffocate OKC. When they’re not, they can lose to anyone. After the Sixers embarrassment, the Wolves showed pride in Portland. The hope is that it wasn’t a one-night emotional spike. After all, Kawhi Leonard is not someone you casually “figure out” after falling behind 15.
This has to be a wire-to-wire effort game.
# 2: Don’t Get Caught in the Claw
To say Kawhi Leonard has been on a heater lately would be an understatement. He torched Minnesota in the previous meeting at Target Center. When Kawhi is healthy, he’s one of the most devastating two-way forces in the league. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t emote much. He just calmly dissects you.
Jaden McDaniels, fresh off a monster game in Portland, will likely draw the primary assignment. That’s a good start, but leaving McDaniels alone on an island is not the solution. Kawhi will find his spots. This has to be collective defense for the Wolves. Force the ball out of his hands and make the Clippers’ role players beat you. If Leonard gets 30 on tough, contested shots, you tip your cap, but the Wolves can’t afford to make it an easy night for him.
#3: Let Rudy Be Rudy
In his two games since the All-Star break, Gobert has been on a tear, vacuuming rebounds, turning misses into putbacks, and reminding everyone why he anchors this defense. Against Portland, his presence was unmistakable. It’s amazing how different Minnesota looks when he’s active and emotionally engaged.
With Zubac gone, the Clippers don’t have a true counter for Gobert inside. This is a game where Minnesota should win the paint decisively. Pound the glass. Feed the lob. If Gobert dictates the interior, it changes everything defensively and creates easier offense on the other end.
# 4: Keep the Ball Moving
Portland was a good reminder of what this offense looks like when it shares. The ball movement unlocked Jaden McDaniels. It freed up Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid for clean threes.
The danger, as always, is hero ball. We saw flashes of it in the fourth quarter in Portland when Anthony Edwards briefly tried to don the cape again. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it stalls the entire offense. Against the Clippers, Ant and Randle need to be dual-threat scorers and facilitators to turn this team into a five-headed monster.
The Stakes
This is Game 2 of a critical three-game road trip. The goal from the jump was 3–0. Portland was Act One. The Clippers are Act Two. Denver looms as the finale.
If Minnesota handles business in L.A., they set up a massive showdown with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets with real standings implications. Minnesota is a half game behind Denver, and the Wolves haven’t beaten them yet this season. Win against the Clippers, and Sunday’s game in Mile High brings the potential of leapfrogging the Nuggets in the standings.
But the Wolves can’t look ahead. The Clippers, even reshuffled, are not going to roll over. Kawhi alone makes this dangerous, and Minnesota’s own inconsistency can’t be ignored.
We’re at Game 60 now. The final turn. The stretch run is here. February has been chaotic with flashes of brilliance, head-scratching losses, defensive lapses, and emotional swings. The Wolves have an opportunity to close the month on a positive note and start March with momentum.
The ladder is right there. Each game is another rung. Defeating the Blazers was a good step. The Clippers are the next grip.
Eyes forward. Eyes focused. The finish line is starting to come into view. The Wolves need to run with purpose and stay in their lane. Hopefully they don’t stray in L.A.
