Blake Griffin had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 95-82 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The win capped a three-game road trip for the Clippers, who earned their first win in four tries against Minnesota on the season.
Thursday was the eighth straight loss for the Timberwolves, who have lost 16 of their last 20 games.
Caron Butler added 17 points for the Clippers (36-23), who pulled to within a game of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division. Mo Williams returned froma toe injury to scored 14 points and dish out five assists in 20 minutes.
The Clippers trailed 48-47 at halftime, but outscored Minnesota 26-20 in the third quarter to earn a five-point advantage. They used a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter to build a double-digit lead, and pulled away for the win, improving their road record to 15-14 on the season. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1984, no Clippers team has ever finished with a .500 or better record on the raod.
Nikola Pekovic led Minnesota with 17 points, while Anthony Randolph added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench in defeat.
The Clippers return home Saturday afternoon to host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center.
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