The Timberwolves host the Clippers at Target Center on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET.
The Timberwolves come in 32-21 (6th in the West), and they’ve been strong at home (17-8). The Clippers are 24-27 (9th in the West) and have been shaky on the road (10-16).
The Timberwolves are coming off a brutal one: they blew a big lead and lost 119-115 to the Pelicans, wasting a 35-point night from Anthony Edwards. The Clippers just won 114-111 against the Kings behind a vintage Kawhi Leonard takeover.
Season series note: This is the second of four meetings. The Timberwolves took the first one 109-106 back in early December, so the Clippers are playing catch-up already.
For the Timberwolves, it starts with Anthony Edwards (29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists) and Julius Randle (22.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists) as the second creator who keeps the floor from tilting too hard.
For the Clippers, it’s Kawhi Leonard (27.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists) doing superstar math, especially with Darius Garland still out.
This one matters because both teams are deadline-affected in very different ways: the Timberwolves are integrating Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips, while the Clippers are still living in the post-Harden and post-Zubac world and waiting on Garland.
Injury Report
Timberwolves
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out (left foot; abductor hallucis strain)
Julian Phillips: Questionable (right wrist sprain)
Clippers
Bradley Beal: Out (left hip fracture)
Darius Garland: Out (right toe sprain)
Isaiah Jackson: Out (trade pending)
Bennedict Mathurin: Out (trade pending)
Why The Timberwolves Have The Advantage
This starts with identity and shot quality. The Timberwolves are 6th in offensive rating (118.1) and 9th in defensive rating (113.4), which is exactly the “good on both ends” profile that usually beats a team in transition.
They also shoot it. A top-four team three-point rate (37.6% from three) matters a lot here, because the Clippers’ defense wants to win possessions with pressure and scramble, not by sitting in a deep shell for 48 minutes. If Edwards is collapsing the paint and the kickouts are real, the Timberwolves can build a lead without playing perfect basketball.
And the standings context isn’t fluff. A 17-8 home record is a real edge, especially against a Clippers group that’s been sub-.500 away from its building. That’s usually where role-player shooting swings hardest.
Why The Clippers Have The Advantage
It’s the Kawhi game plan. Leonard is having an elite season (27.7 points per game, plus the defensive playmaking), and he just showed he can drag this roster through tight fourth quarters even while the team is shorthanded.
The other real path is forcing mistakes. The Timberwolves can get loose with the ball when teams heat them up, and that’s how a lower-powered offense stays in the fight: steals, runouts, and early-clock threes before the defense is set. You don’t need a clean half-court attack if you can manufacture 10 to 14 easy points. (And right now, the Clippers kind of have to play that way.)
Also, the Clippers are simply playing better lately, even through the chaos. They’ve won 11 of their last 15, which tells you the effort and execution baseline is real right now.
X-Factors
Naz Reid (14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists) is the Timberwolves’ swing because he changes the geometry. If Reid’s pick-and-pop threes are falling, the Clippers can’t load up on Edwards drives the same way, and it also forces the Clippers to defend in space instead of just crowding the lane.
Jaden McDaniels (15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists) is the other big one because he’s the matchup guy. The Timberwolves need him to spend real minutes on Leonard without constant help, and they also need his offense to be more than “stand and watch.” If he’s scoring efficiently while doing the dirty work, that’s how the Timberwolves separate.
For the Clippers, John Collins (13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds on 56.4% shooting) matters because he’s been their clean finisher and a low-mistake scoring source. If Collins is getting easy points in the dunker spot and winning the energy minutes, it keeps the Clippers afloat while Leonard carries the harder possessions.
Brook Lopez (6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds) doesn’t look like an X-factor on the season line, but his role does. If he gives them real rim protection minutes without fouling and hits a couple pick-and-pop threes, it changes how aggressive the Timberwolves can be at the rim.
Prediction
I’m taking the Timberwolves. The Clippers can absolutely steal this with a Kawhi heater, but the Timberwolves’ two-way profile is stronger, they shoot the ball well enough to punish overhelp, and the home/road split points to the Timberwolves getting the cleaner “support scoring” tonight.
Prediction: Timberwolves 116, Clippers 108
