Clippers Clinch Unexpected Playoff Berth

The Los Angeles Clippers became the fifth team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff berth with a 122-111 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

Danilo Gallinari led all scorers with 25 points for the visiting Clippers, who won their 45th game of the season at Target Center. A year after missing the postseason with a 42-40 record, LA is playoff-bound for the seventh time in the past eight seasons.

Head coach Doc Rivers was well-aware of the pundits who said the Clippers had no chance of making the postseason in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. 

"I'm just really happy for our guys," Rivers said. "Before the year, we went through all the articles about us and how bad we were going to be. I just told them, they don't know us."

The majority of the offseason chatter focused on the Los Angeles Lakers—who were eliminated from postseason contention last week—but it was the Clippers who emerged as the City's best team.

Despite sending forward Tobias Harris—an All-Star snub—to the Philadelphia 76ers via trade in February, the Clippers continued to win against all odds. The Clippers are 15-5 since dealing Harris. They have ripped off six straight victories, the longest active streak in the NBA, and are 11-1 in March.

Clippers have beaten bookmakers win total by 12 games and have six more to go. Doc Rivers is well aware after they clinched last night pic.twitter.com/7gXGld4bRo

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 27, 2019

The Clippers used a dominant first quarter to bulldoze the Timberwolves, outscoring the hosts 42-23. Minnesota managed to trim the deficit to six in the fourth quarter, but never got closer. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, two of the best bench players in the league, carried the Clippers’ second-unit. Williams scored 20 points with seven assists and four rebounds. Harrell registered 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.

The only NBA team so far to clinch a postseason berth without an All-Star, the Clippers relied on their unmatched bench to exceed expectations. The 25-year-old Harrell has had a breakout season, accumulating career-bests in points (16.6), rebounds (6.7), assists (1.9) and blocks per contest (1.4). Harrell and his teammate Williams will be up for Sixth Man of the Year honors.

The Las Vegas over/under win total was just 33.5 for the Clippers. They were forecasted by Vegas to finish 12th (based off win total) in the West, but now have a realistic shot at attaining home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason.

"It's so hard to make the playoffs in the West," said guard Patrick Beverley, who exited the contest early with a hip point injury after scoring 11 points with five assists and two blocks in 18 minutes. "To be in the category with some of the teams that we're in the category with, it's truly a blessing."