Clippers hit another bump on road

Expectations were high to begin the season for the Clippers, who set goals of winning the Pacific Division title and playing late into the NBA playoffs. At this point, though, it might be time for the Clippers to add another item to their list: winning a game on the road.

They squandered a 16-point lead in the third quarter and remained winless on the road after a 104-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in front of 15,379 at the Target Center on Saturday night.

Playing for the second time in as many nights, the Timberwolves outscored the Clippers, 35-15, in the fourth quarter -- including 15-0 in one stretch -- to rally for their third consecutive victory. The Clippers scored only two points in the final five minutes.

The Clippers (6-5) have lost three games in a row, are 0-4 as a visiting team and are off to a poor start on a three-game, five-day trip that continues tonight against the high-scoring Denver Nuggets.

The Clippers are struggling, and they didn’t expect this.

“This one is hard to swallow,” Sam Cassell said. “Man, we had this game won.”

It appeared the Clippers were positioned well to begin the final quarter, in large part because of Cassell.

He scored 31 points and had a game-high eight assists, and the 13-year veteran’s three-point basket with 5 minutes 4 seconds left gave the Clippers a 94-85 lead. The Clippers, however, scored only two more points, on Cuttino Mobley’s layup with 58 seconds left.

“We shot too quickly,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said of the game-ending scoring drought. “We forced some issues on some shots, and we didn’t get the ball inside where we had some matchup advantages.

“Instead of being patient and grinding it out and taking it home

The Timberwolves (6-6) got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Kevin Garnett, and the team’s supporting cast played a big role with five other players scoring in double figures.

Rookie guard Randy Foye scored 15 points off the bench, providing a lift the Clippers didn’t get in a game they played without center Chris Kaman, who is sidelined indefinitely because of a sprained left ankle.

Elton Brand rebounded from a seven-point performance in Wednesday’s loss to Seattle, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, and sixth man Corey Maggette scored 18 points. But Shaun Livingston had only two points and Tim Thomas contributed one.

“When you come in the game, you’ve got to be up to do what you’re supposed to do to make us go,” Cassell said. “When we don’t do it, that hurts us....That goes for me, Elton and everybody.”

Said Dunleavy: “We let their bench come in and give them some energy.”

And now, the Clippers face the Nuggets, who have won four in a row and lead the NBA in scoring.

“I’ll be ready to play,” Cassell said, “and hopefully my troops will be ready.”

*

jason.reid@latimes.com

*

KEYS TO THE GAME

* What happened to the bench? Sixth man Corey Maggette provided scoring as usual, but three points combined from Tim Thomas and Shaun Livingston probably won’t get it done in most games.

* Where was the defense? The Clippers shot 53.4% from the field, but the Timberwolves made 52.9% of their field-goal attempts.

* Nice execution down the stretch, guys. The Clippers scored two points in the final five minutes. No wonder Coach Mike Dunleavy appeared sick on the sideline.

--JASON REID