Clippers Can’t Quite Match Timberwolves

Welcome back to the West, Clippers.

After seven consecutive games against sub-.500 teams from the East, of which they won four, the Clippers found themselves up against a team from their own, vastly superior conference Tuesday night in the Target Center, where the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 96-84 victory.

Kevin Garnett, in a dominating performance, made 15 of 21 shots, scored 31 points and took 16 rebounds, helping the Midwest Division leaders to their 15th victory in their last 16 home games.

The Timberwolves, whose 27-7 record since Dec. 1 is the NBA’s best over the last 2 1/2 months, had lost their last home game, Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, which didn’t bode well for the Clippers.

Sunday’s loss still stuck in their craw, the Timberwolves ran through a spirited Monday practice, brought the same energy Tuesday night and took a quick 11-2 lead. They never trailed, building their lead to 17 points in the third quarter while winning their sixth in a row over the Clippers.

“That’s what the loss did to us,” said Garnett, who had 14 points and nine rebounds in the first quarter. “We had to reevaluate ourselves, and it made us that much more hungry. I think that’s what y’all saw....

“That Memphis game left a bad taste in our mouths.”

This one didn’t go down too well for the Clippers, who have lost their last three games. Elton Brand’s frustration with the aggressive defense of Ervin Johnson led to a third-quarter technical foul.

“I almost hyperventilated,” said the usually even-tempered Brand, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds, well below his season averages, and shot only four free throws. “We’re out there trying to win the game too, but it wasn’t going our way. That’s not the only reason why we lost -- we might have still lost -- but we want a fair game. You can’t get every call, but we want it to be as fair as possible....

“You hear rumors that [you don’t get calls] because you’re on the Clippers ... but I’m trying to win. I’m trying to compete like everybody else.”

Playing the seventh game of an eight-game trip that ends tonight at Memphis, the Clippers didn’t put up much of a fight against the Timberwolves, hampered in part by the absence of Quentin Richardson for all but 12 minutes.

Richardson, who missed all three of his shots and failed to score after scoring 36 against the Timberwolves in the Clippers’ last visit, suffered an upper thigh bruise in the first quarter, returned briefly in the second and sat out the rest.

“It was either a knee or a shoulder from [Latrell] Sprewell,” said Richardson, who is doubtful for tonight’s game. “I cut him off, but he lowered his shoulder and bumped me off him ... and drove into my groin, or thigh, or whatever -- high thigh.”

Corey Maggette picked up the scoring slack, matching a career high with 34 points. Marko Jaric had a career-high 12 assists.

But the Timberwolves, who got 17 points from Sprewell, 15 from reserve Gary Trent and 12 assists from Sam Cassell, were never seriously threatened after making 56.5% of their first-quarter shots en route to a 29-16 lead.

“We dug ourselves too big a hole,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said of the Clippers, who missed five of their first six shots. “We just didn’t come out making shots and a couple of turnovers early got them into the open court, got them some easy scores. They built a decent lead and we were fighting from behind the rest of the night.”