On January 7, 2025, Beijing time, the 17-win and 17-loss Timberwolves hosted the 20-win and 15-loss Clippers. This was Leonard's second game back from injury. Facing the tall and defensively strong Timberwolves, how would Leonard perform? The Clippers started with Harden, Dunn, Powell, Leonard, and Zubac, while the Timberwolves changed their lineup, with Conley coming off the bench. Their starting lineup was Edwards, DiVincenzo, McDaniels, Randle, and Gobert.
In the first quarter, Gobert made 1 of 2 free throws, Powell made both, Gobert dunked, and Dunn hook shot, giving the Clippers a 4-3 lead. Edwards scored 4 points in a row, allowing the Timberwolves to take a 3-point lead. Leonard, Harden, Powell, and Zubac responded with a 9-0 run to take a 6-point lead and force a timeout. After the timeout, Leonard made a putback, extending the Clippers' lead to 8 points. McDaniels hit a three-pointer, but Leonard, Harden, Mann, and Coffey followed with a 10-0 run to increase the lead to 15 points. Reid and Edwards narrowed the gap to 11 points with a layup and a dunk. Harden made a floater, and DiVincenzo made both free throws. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led 27-16.
In the second quarter, Powell made a 2+1 play, extending the Clippers' lead to 14 points. Walker and Reid reduced the deficit to 9 points. Jones, Coffey, and Zubac continued to score, increasing the lead to 19 points. After a timeout, Gobert dunked, and Zubac responded with a layup, maintaining a 19-point lead. Reid and Conley scored consecutively, reducing the gap to 12 points. Powell and Harden hit three-pointers, but Conley, McDaniels, Edwards, and Gobert also scored, narrowing the deficit to 5 points. Powell made both free throws, and at halftime, the Clippers led 53-46.
In the third quarter, Zubac made a hook shot, giving the Clippers a 9-point lead. Randle made 1 of 2 free throws, and Edwards made a 2+1 play, reducing the gap to 5 points. Zubac dunked, extending the lead to 7 points. However, Edwards, DiVincenzo, and Randle scored consecutively, leading the Timberwolves on a 17-0 run to take a 10-point lead. After a timeout, Harden scored 8 points in a row, and Edwards responded with a three-pointer, leaving a 4-point gap. Powell made a layup, reducing the deficit to 2 points. Reid and Edwards extended the lead to 9 points, but Coffey, Harden, and Batum scored 8 points in a row, leaving a 1-point gap. At the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves led 77-76.
In the fourth quarter, Coffey made both free throws, giving the Clippers a 1-point lead. Randle, DiVincenzo, and Reid extended the lead to 6 points. After a timeout, Conley made a free throw, and DiVincenzo made a layup, giving the Timberwolves a 9-point lead. Powell made a layup, but Conley responded with a basket, maintaining a 9-point lead. Porter and Jones reduced the deficit to 4 points. After a timeout, Reid made a hook shot, leaving a 6-point gap. Zubac, Powell, Porter, and Jones scored 11 points in a row, giving the Clippers a 5-point lead. Edwards made a 2+1 play and then hit a three-pointer, giving the Timberwolves a 1-point lead. Harden made a layup to retake the lead by 1 point, but McDaniels hit a three-pointer to lead by 2 points. The Clippers called a timeout with 1 minute and 49 seconds left. After the timeout, Powell made a 2+1 play to retake the lead by 1 point. Edwards hit two consecutive three-pointers to lead by 5 points, and the Clippers called another timeout with 34 seconds left. After the timeout, Powell missed a shot, and Reid made 1 of 2 free throws. Powell dunked, leaving a 4-point gap. Edwards made 1 of 2 free throws, and Jones made 1 of 2 but the Clippers got the rebound. Harden missed a three-pointer, but Porter grabbed the rebound and scored a jumper while being fouled. He missed the free throw, and the game ended with the Timberwolves defeating the Clippers 108-106, completing a great comeback after trailing by 19 points.
Edwards scored 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on 14 of 29 shooting (6 of 13 from three-point range). In the last two games, he has made a total of 16 three-pointers, setting a new career record (the previous record was 14). Reid scored 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists on 8 of 14 shooting. DiVincenzo had 15 points and 9 rebounds, Gobert had 8 points and 18 rebounds, Conley had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, McDaniels had 11 points and 2 rebounds, and Randle had 5 points and 6 rebounds on 2 of 10 shooting, performing poorly.
Harden scored 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 8 of 22 shooting. Powell scored 25 points and 6 rebounds on 7 of 17 shooting. Leonard scored 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists on 3 of 11 shooting, still needing to recover his form. Zubac scored 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks, setting a new personal record for blocks this season. Jones had 10 points and 2 rebounds.
After the loss, the Clippers remained in seventh place in the West, while the Timberwolves moved up from tenth to ninth after the win.