Chris Paul was quiet much of the night Wednesday, but he heated up when it mattered, scoring 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Clippers to a 102-98 win over the Wolves at Target Center.
Minnesota and Los Angeles scored identical amounts in quarters one, two, and four, but LA topped the Wolves 25-21 in the third, the difference in the game.
Paul becomes the first player in NBA history to open a season with 10-plus points and 10-plus assists in 12 straight games.
You can’t say this often, but the Wolves struggled offensively all night.
Minnesota shot just 38 percent from the floor and 5-of-22 from 3-point land, while Kevin Love had his worst shooting night of the year, going 2-of-14.
Kevin Martin led the poor shooting Wolves with 28, while Nikola Pekovic continues his hot streak, going 9-of-13 from the floor on his way to 20 points.
Pekovic is 44 of his last 64 from the field, shooting nearly 69 percent in his last six games.
Minnesota has now lost three of their last four and sits at 7-6 on the year, while Los Angeles continues to play well, improving to 8-4 after beating the Wolves for the second time this season.
Love and Co. are back to game action Friday at Target Center against Kevin Garnett and the Brooklyn Nets.
