Los Angeles @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2018 ) Minnesota 126, L.A. Clippers 118

The battle in the Western Conference is close enough that the Minnesota Timberwolves can be in eighth place on Monday but potentially move all the way up to fifth by the end of play on Tuesday. The Timberwolves will try to knock off one of the other competitors for a top eight slot when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

Minnesota enters play on Monday in the No. 8 spot but is just a half-game behind a trio of teams occupying the Nos. 5-7 slots and just 2 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Oklahoma City Thunder. The Timberwolves didn't do themselves any favors by falling to a pair of teams in front of them over the weekend while allowing an average of 123 points in losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. "I don't look at that," Minnesota guard Jamal Crawford told the Minneapolis Star Tribune of the standings. "It will change 10 more times before the season is over with. If we do what we have to do, we won't have to worry about what everyone else is doing." The Clippers need to worry about everyone else after dropping three in a row to teams ahead of them in the standings and dropping two games behind the Timberwolves.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (37-32): Los Angeles played three games in four nights against Houston, Oklahoma City and Portland and dropped all three, but the team wasn't ready to use fatigue as an excuse. "I don't care how many games we have played in how many nights," guard Austin Rivers told the Los Angeles Times. "At this point, man, we just got to win games. I don't care if we got to play five games in five nights. We just got to win games. Everybody is tired right now. Everybody is bruised. Everybody is trying to play catch up. ... We've dropped a couple of games in a row. We've got to get it back going. That's it." The schedule isn't letting up for the Clippers, who play six of their next seven on the road with a pair of back-to-backs, including a date at Milwaukee on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (40-31): Minnesota allowed a season-high 77 points in the first half on Sunday against Houston and didn't have quite enough left to finish off a comeback in a 129-120 loss. "Too deep a hole," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "We can't do that, where we are right now. The fight has to be greater. ... I know we're capable of doing better." Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns is doing his part to lead the team to the postseason for the first time since 2004 and delivered 20 points and 18 rebounds on Sunday -- the fourth time in the last eight games that he recorded at least 20 points and 16 boards.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Timberwolves PG Derrick Rose scored 14 points on Sunday -- his highest total in four games since joining the team.

2. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan is averaging 18.8 rebounds in nine games this month.

3. Minnesota took the last five in the series, most recently a 126-118 triumph at Los Angeles on Jan. 22.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 113, Clippers 107