Five takeaways from the Clippers’ loss to Minnesota

The Clippers dropped a crucial game at Minnesota on Tuesday night. Here are five takeaways from the 123-109 loss:

1. As Clippers coach Doc Rivers ripped into his team following the game, he pointed to the plus-minus category for his group as an indicator of how poorly they played.

Indeed, it was a not a pretty sight.

The starting five had a minus-61, led by Austin Rivers’ minus-20, DeAndre Jordan’s minus-16 and Milos Teodosic’s minus-14. Key reserves Lou Williams (minus-14) and Montrezl Harrell (minus-13) were equally as bad.

2. The Clippers didn’t play much defense. They allowed the Timberwolves to make 52.3% of their shots, 40% of their three-pointers.

3. In need of help, the shorthanded Clippers turned to guard Sean Kilpatrick, who is playing on his second 10-day contract with the team. His six points in the first quarter were more than he had in his three previous games combined (4).

He finished with 15 points on five-for-10 shooting, three-for-six on three-pointers. It was his seventh double-figure game of the season, his first with the Clippers.

4. Jordan had a solid game, producing a double-double. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

5. The Clippers lost the game in the third quarter, letting their one-point halftime deficit grow to 15. They shot just 38.1% from the field in the third, compared with Minnesota’s 57.1%. The Clippers scored 25 points, but the Timberwolves scored 36.

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